MSAD 6 adopts $65.8 million FY26 budget, board removes SRO funding and taps $4.5M carryforward

The MSAD 6 Board of Directors voted to adopt a $65,803,010 general fund budget for fiscal year 2025–26, approving the measure 9–1 after first agreeing 8–2 to suspend rules and read the budget a second time. The approved plan uses about $4.5 million from district fund balances to reduce the tax impact, cuts seven positions districtwide and reflects a 12.7% increase in health‑insurance costs that the administration said drove much of the year‑over‑year change.

The vote followed a two‑hour review of the budget’s 11 articles and line‑by‑line explanations from the superintendent and business office staff. The budget as presented produces an overall levy assessment of $37,216,193 to the towns in the district; the administration described the general fund increase as 3.93% and an overall district increase as 4.17% once food service and adult education are included.

The superintendent (name not specified) opened the budget discussion with a supplemental packet on enrollment and staffing, saying the materials "relate directly to kind of how we arrived at the numbers we arrived at with this year's proposed budget." The packet showed roughly 704 employees systemwide now compared with lower totals a decade ago; the administration said it proposes eliminating seven positions through attrition and nonrenewal to better align staffing with declining enrollment.

Special education was a major driver of increases in Article 2; the administration said the district has expanded in‑district special‑education programs (including a learning center at Frank Jewett and the Evolve day treatment) that it expects to…