RSU 5 board approves FY26 superintendent's proposed budget after amendments

The RSU 5 Board of Directors on March 26 approved the district's fiscal year 2026 superintendent's proposed budget as amended, after more than five hours of public comment and board discussion. The board's final motion added a 0.5 full-time-equivalent ESOL teacher and restored four full-time teaching positions in the district before passing the amended package unanimously.

The vote matters because it sets next year's spending plan and the district's recommended warrant articles that will go to the annual budget meeting and the June validation referendum. The board and administrators repeatedly framed the decisions as a balance between educational priorities and taxpayer burden, with multiple public speakers urging restoration of specific classroom positions.

Board discussion and public comment focused heavily on elementary class size and teacher positions at Mass Landing School. Several teachers and parents told the board that cutting a one-year fourth-grade teacher (and a bench substitute ed-tech) at Mass Landing would raise class sizes substantially and harm student outcomes. "This year, I have 16 students in my room, and I've been able to establish indelibly strong relationships," Mass Landing teacher Tracy Trembly told the board during public comment. Several other classroom teachers, including Crystal Bushey, and the local CEA president Trevor Bean urged the board to prioritize smaller class sizes for younger students.

Administrators described how they had examined class-size data, enrollment projections and program delivery when proposing reductions. Freeport Middle School Principal (Dr.) Fournier said the district is examining ways to meet health and wellness standards across other classes if Wellness 2 is cut, and that some instructional duties historically in small, part-time positions can be redistributed. Finance staff and the superintendent repeatedly told the board they had prioritized special-education ed-tech hires because those positions are required by IEPs.

Amendments and key votes - An amendment to restore 0.5 FTE in ESOL (increase the district's ESOL staffing from 2.5 to 3.0) passed on a voice vote with no opposition and a recorded dollar impact of $51,000. - After multiple separate motions and counter-motions, the board approved an amendment restoring the following teaching capacity before the final FY26 approval: two FTEs at Freeport Middle School, one FTE at Mass Landing School, and one FTE at Durham Community School. (Board members debated whether to add these individually or direct administration to prioritize between schools; the final motion specified those positions.) - The district's amended FY26 budget, inclusive of those restorations and the ESOL 0.5 FTE, was adopted by a unanimous vote of the board.

Board members described different weightings of competing priorities. Some members said they wanted to trust the administrative team's recommendation that the district could meet student needs with the proposed reduction; others said recent public testimony and teacher experience persuaded them to restore specific positions. Several board members said they were also mindful of the tax impact, comparing RSU 5's proposed increase with neighboring districts.

The superintendent and finance staff said the budget now goes to the district's warrant and attorney review before publication. The board also scheduled three community Q&A sessions and reminded voters of the annual budget meeting and the June 10 validation referendum.

Ending note: The board emphasized that the final budget is the result of compromise between the administrative recommendation and community requests; the board directed administrators to continue reporting data and to prepare for the upcoming public budget Q&A meetings.