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RSU 04 reviews student and staff support budget: counselors, nurses, libraries and curriculum purchases
Summary
Cost Center 5 presentations covered guidance staffing, nurse coverage and supplies, library budgets, and curriculum materials (reading, math, science) that had previously been funded by federal grants.
District staff presented Cost Center 5 at the March 5 budget workshop, covering guidance, health services, libraries and curriculum materials, and described several modest budget increases tied to staffing allocations, new mandated medication supplies and the restoration of some consumable curriculum costs.
Why it matters: These lines support daily school operations and student wellbeing; changes affect how counseling, nursing coverage and core instructional materials are provided across buildings.
Key takeaways
• Guidance and counseling: Staff said there are three school counselors and three social workers budgeted across Libby Tozier, Sabattus Primary (SPS), the middle school and Carrie Ricker. The district proposed a dean role at Carrie Ricker that staff said will provide added building‑level behavioral and administrative support and influence counselor assignments if SPS closes. Presenters stressed staffing is being reallocated rather than cut under the closure scenario.
• Health services and nursing: Shelly (health‑services staff) summarized nursing coverage: each school has a nurse except that Carrie Ricker currently uses a health aide rather than a nurse; if Sabattus Primary closes the SPS health aide position would be removed and staffing redistributed so each remaining building would have a nurse. Staff noted a modest increase in supply lines because the district’s standing orders now include glucagon as an on‑site emergency medication; repairs and dues lines were reduced where allowable.
• Library budgets: Staff said they reduced planned purchasing of books and periodicals where possible; library staff will inventory existing holdings and redistribute materials if SPS closes.
• Curriculum materials: The district outlined recurring costs that were previously covered by ARP/ESSER funds and that are now being proposed in the general fund, including subscriptions and consumable student materials. Staff listed specific items they plan to purchase or renew: Really Great Reading (access and student materials), Bridge to Writing and Being a Writer (elementary writing programs), Mystery Science (elementary science inquiry), Open Up Math (middle‑school math workbooks) and Elevate Science (middle‑school science access/workbooks). Budget staff said they audited existing inventories and ordered only what is needed to avoid duplicative purchases.
Operational issues and constraints
Board members asked about nurse coverage and how the district manages absences; staff explained there are limited substitute nurses and the district uses nearby nurses or health aides to cover in short‑term absences, but the arrangement is not a substitute for full staffing. Presenters noted immunization compliance, influenza reporting and daily care for medically fragile students consume significant nurse time.
Ending
Staff asked the board to note the proposed restorations of some curriculum subscription and consumable costs previously covered by federal grants, and confirmed they will provide requested clarifying details, including counts of counselors/social‑workers by building and inventories for library and curriculum materials. No budget votes were taken at the session.
