Neil, a member of the ad hoc Education Exploration Committee, told the Buckfield Select Board on Aug. 2025 that the panel estimated the three towns’ revenue for a hypothetical separate district (to be designated “RSU 90” by the state) at $10,044,726 for fiscal 2026 and estimated operating expenses at $12,836,824.79, leaving an anticipated shortfall of about $2.8 million.
The committee used ED 279 forms from the Maine Department of Education and current RSU 10 budget lines to ground its calculations, and removed Mountain Valley Community School construction costs because those are fully state funded and would not transfer to a withdrawn district.
The committee presented its work line by line and recommended that the three towns consider dissolving the ad hoc committee unless the select boards wanted further work; it also urged a final public forum with committee members present to allow residents of Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner to ask questions and state preferences.
Why this matters: the committee’s analysis indicates that, under current formulas and the district’s fiscal‑2026 planning assumptions, withdrawing from RSU 10 without significant changes would require a major local revenue increase or deep program and staff cuts.
The committee reviewed more than 250 budget lines, itemized school cost centers for Buckfield High School (BHS), Buckfield Middle School (BMS) and Harvard Selma Elementary School (HSES), and included systemwide lines such as nutrition, transportation and central office in its expense estimate. The presenters cautioned the numbers could change if state formulas, contract obligations or other assumptions change.
Public commenters raised related concerns. Judy, a resident, asked about declining enrollment and said she counted “13” students she knew who are homeschooled or attend other schools; she urged the committee to examine per‑pupil costs. Neil responded that per‑pupil figures and ED 279 data are on the committee’s Google Drive and that much of the district cost structure—about three‑quarters, the committee said—is tied to state mandates and contracts that would persist after withdrawal.
The committee estimated the three towns had seen a combined tax increase of $889,187 over the past six years as part of RSU 10 budgets, and said that raising an additional $3,000,000 in a single budget cycle would be unrealistic without severe cuts. The presentation also flagged one‑time withdrawal costs (legal fees, summer payroll) in addition to the ongoing gap.
Next steps and direction: Select Board members discussed holding “one final forum” with committee members present and asked the committee to propose dates; committee members said they planned another meeting to conclude their work and to remain available for a public session. No formal vote to dissolve the committee or to withdraw from RSU 10 was taken at the meeting.
A final note: presenters said the underlying worksheets and ED 279 forms are available in a shared Google Drive that the towns can access for independent review.