Auburn presents $64.7 million FY26 budget proposal; principals seek math coaches and more social-emotional staff

The Auburn School Department presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget of $64,718,893 at its March 5 meeting and opened Cost Center 1 with principals reporting enrollment, class sizes and building priorities.

Superintendent Sue Doris told the committee the proposal represents a 4.2% increase over the current year and carries an education mill rate of $9.06; using current assessed value, she said the change would raise taxes on a $150,000 home by $46.39. "We were very fortunate this year to receive an increase in state subsidy," Doris said, noting staff will present more detailed revenue figures later in the process.

The budget presentation emphasized two major cost drivers: an estimated $1.1 million increase for health insurance (a 15% rate assumption) and a roughly $1.3 million rise in special-education costs driven by student needs and out-of-district tuition. Business Manager Amanda Kuchar and staff noted health-trust pool ratings and employee enrollment could change the final insurance figure.

Nut graf: School principals used the Cost Center 1 presentation to report enrollment counts and classroom ratios, explain small staff adjustments and request targeted support for math instruction and social-emotional learning (SEL). Several principals described sizable multilingual learner (MLL) caseloads and a plan to transfer an existing MLL teacher position between buildings rather than add net new staff.

Principals' reports and requests

East Auburn Principal Michelle Gagne projected total enrollment of 151 students for 2025-26, with class ratios ranging from about 1:16 in early grades to 1:24 in fourth grade; she said the building expects no staffing changes and will continue tiered behavioral interventions and MyView/MyPerspectives and Illustrative Math curricula. "We're projecting a total of 151 students with 8 teachers," Gagne said.

Fairview Principal (surname listed in the record as Beaudette) reported October 1 enrollment of 490 and projected 486 for next year, with average class size about 1:20; she flagged that the school shares a single district math coach among six elementary schools and explained that constraint limits in‑building math support.

Park Avenue Principal Stephanie Maris described a current October count of 390 and a projected 398 for 2025-26, noting the school houses the district's MLL program and had an identified MLL caseload of 176. Maris said two Title II positions are proposed to reduce class sizes in fourth and fifth grades and that one currently vacant MLL position will be shifted to Sherwood Heights as the district expands a second MLL site. "I would echo what Mrs. Beaudette shared about needing support for math," Maris told the committee.

Sherwood Heights Principal Mike Davis said Sherwood had 302 students on Oct. 1 and projects about 312 for next year; he reported 10 MLL students currently and anticipated adding an MLL teacher to raise MLL capacity to roughly 20 students, using a lateral transfer rather than adding a new position to the overall budget.

Walton, Washburn and AMS reports emphasized steady enrollments, localized class-size "bubbles" and continued implementation of district curricula. AMS Principal Ben Wilson said the middle school expected to grow from about 497 to roughly 517 next year and described a large MLL population (47 students in grades 7–8) supported by one teacher and two educational technicians.

Franklin and Edward Little (high school) reported program-specific needs. Franklin's principal asked for additional mental-health resources for a small but vulnerable population; Edward Little Principal Val Apley described enrollment rising to about 1,027 students and proposed repurposing an existing special-education team-leader slot to become an MLL team-leader at the high school to meet rising demand.

Requests for central support and clarification

Multiple principals asked the School Committee to consider a shared math coach (or expanded math coaching capacity) and more social-emotional staff (counselors, social workers or embedded SEL supports). Several principals framed these as districtwide priorities rather than building-specific hires, noting the difficulty of adding permanent positions given the city's budget guidance.

Officials clarified that some staffing changes described during presentations are lateral reallocations of positions already budgeted (for example, moving an MLL teacher post to a different building) rather than new full-year hires that would increase payroll costs.

Budget process and calendar

The superintendent reviewed the calendar for the budget process: Cost Center 2 (special education) will be presented next week, Cost Center 4 (athletics) on March 19 and subsequent cost centers through March 26 (including adult education and revenue). The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for April 2, a joint budget workshop with the City Council on April 7, School Committee approval is planned for May 7, City Council approval for May 19, and a budget-validation referendum is scheduled for June 10.

Formal actions

The committee approved the consent agenda at the start of the meeting, including the night's agenda and minutes from the Sept. 26, 2025 meeting. The motion was made during roll call and passed by voice vote; the transcript records "All those in favor. Motion passes," with no recorded roll-call tally.

Why this matters

The FY26 budget proposal sets the district's funding priorities for instructional staff, special education and health benefits. Principals' repeated requests for more math coaching and SEL capacity highlight operational constraints—a single math coach currently serves six elementary schools—and may shape later budget deliberations and priorities the School Committee presents to the City Council.

What’s next

Committee members requested additional detail on restorative behavioral-response interventions and signaled they will review Cost Center 2 (special education) and subsequent cost centers in coming meetings. Revenue details and the district's final health insurance rate (pending the Maine Benefits Trust pool rating) are expected during April budget sessions.