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 reduce costly out‑of‑district placements even as Special Ed spending grows. The superintendent said those investments "are probably paying for themselves and the subsidy we are not losing." The board’s summary materials show Article 2 rising by $907,735 (7.55%).

Facilities and maintenance (Article 9) rose $895,086 (10.93%), including a $210,000 line for an energy‑efficiency/lighting and renovation lease described as an EEI (Energy Efficient Investments) project. Facilities Director Carl (last name not specified) told the board the EEI contract is a 20‑year lease intended to yield annual energy savings; the administration said some safety and capital work will be paid from the district’s capital reserve rather than the operating budget.

Transportation is increasing modestly overall after the board cut one mechanic position; the administration said it will move to a new routing and parent‑app platform (named in materials as BusRight) and will begin paying for software the state had funded previously. Nutrition services shows a substantial increase driven largely by higher food costs and staffing; the administration said federal and state reimbursements and local meal revenue will cover most of nutrition’s higher expenses.

The proposed budget relies on a planned use of approximately $4.5 million in fund balance (carryforward) to limit taxes. The administration said the district had roughly $10 million in fund balance at June 2024 and expects about $8.5 million at the end of FY25. "The total we're looking to carry forward is 4,500,000 dollars," the business manager (Don, last name not specified) told the board, noting that the amount draws from the general fund, food service and adult education balances. Directors repeatedly discussed the district’s reliance on carryforward money and said next year they want to build and show a budget baseline without carryforward added.

Public comment and several board members focused on a single personnel line removed from the proposed budget: the funding for a Buxton‑area school resource officer (SRO). Resident and Standish Planning Board member Todd Delaney, who also said he served on the district’s Budget Advisory Committee, urged reinstating an SRO and told the board that families and staff at Bonny Eagle schools "spoke at length about the need for the school resource officer." During board discussion Director Mercer said, "I am disappointed the SRO was removed from the Buxton Center," and other directors asked for more data on calls and incidents; the superintendent confirmed the SRO line was removed from the budget and that data supplied to the advisory committee had been distributed to the board.

Formal motions tied to the budget and subsequent election logistics followed. The board voted 8–2 to suspend its rule requiring 24 hours between readings so the district could consider a second reading immediately; the budget was then adopted 9–1. The board also approved warrants to call the district budget meeting for May 15, 2025, and a budget‑validation referendum and at‑large school board election for June 10, 2025; those procedural motions and related authorizations (signing warrants, authorizing the superintendent to tally and certify election results) passed by unanimous or near‑unanimous counts recorded in the minutes.

Directors and staff said the district will present the articles again at the public budget meeting and noted several next steps: more precise, line‑level budgeting in future cycles, ongoing work to reduce recurring commitments, continued attention to special‑education programming and capital needs (including playground replacements and track resurfacing raised by the facilities director), and returning next year with a proposed budget baseline that excludes the one‑time use of fund balance.

Votes at a glance • Resolution 39, Approval of the Proposed FY2025–26 School District Budget — Adopted (motion to suspend rules to allow immediate second reading passed 8–2; final adoption passed 9–1). • District budget meeting warrant — Approved (vote recorded 10–0). District budget meeting scheduled for May 15, 2025. • Budget‑validation referendum warrant and at‑large school board election warrant — Approved (vote recorded 10–0); referendum and election scheduled for June 10, 2025. • Authorization for superintendent to tally and certify June 10 results — Approved (vote recorded 10–0). • Other administrative warrants and cancellations of special meetings — Approved by recorded votes listed in minutes.

The board chair and administrators said the budget materials and the superintendent’s supplemental packet will be posted with the meeting minutes; the district will present the budget again at the public budget meeting and the referendum materials and election warrants will be posted to municipal clerks as required.