The RSU 52/MSAD 52 board approved the consent agenda on Sept. 4 by unanimous vote, including the finance committee’s recommended May and June 2025 (FY25) and July 2025 (FY26) operating and expenditure reports, personnel nominations and district handbooks and emergency plans.

Superintendent Smith and Gabby summarized the finance reports. The board heard that some warrant lines — notably special education and “other instruction” — were over budget year‑to‑date. Superintendent Smith said the board previously authorized the use of approximately $612,000 in reserve funds to offset overspending: about $200,000 for special education, roughly $380,000 for facilities projects (elevator, LCS roof, well work) and about $33,000 for TES wiring tied to an E‑rate project. Staff said the large special‑education overrun was driven by contracted services and out‑of‑district placements and that July activity looks more balanced.

During new business, board member Anthony requested that the superintendent job description (previously on the consent agenda) be pulled for discussion. Anthony noted that an earlier board policy assigns the superintendent duties as board secretary and parliamentarian, and he argued those duties should appear in the formal job description. The board discussed grammatical edits and the policy alignment. Anthony moved to amend the job description to explicitly add secretary and parliamentarian responsibilities and to clean up phrasing; the motion passed unanimously. The board then voted to approve the job description as amended.

The board also approved instructional nominations (teachers and transfers), the district handbook (which added a section on supports including gender identity resources and a cell‑phone policy), comprehensive emergency plans (kept confidential), and authorization for out‑of‑state athletic games as part of the consent agenda.