RSU 14 superintendent: budget up 12.75% driven by new middle school debt, salary adjustments and pre-K expansion

Good evening. My name is Chris Howell, and I'm the superintendent of schools for RSU 14, he said as he opened the district's public budget meeting on May 14, 2025 in the Windham High School auditorium.

Howell summarized the district's proposed 12.75% increase for fiscal 2025-26, saying the largest drivers are the new middle school debt service, negotiated salary increases and a pre-K expansion. He told attendees the board began reviewing the budget in March and April, that the administrative budget work began in October and November, and that the amount approved at the meeting will be placed on the June 10 referendum.

The superintendent showed the budget breakdown: the middle school construction increased the district's debt service by about $3,800,000, of which Howell said roughly $3,400,000 is expected to be reimbursed by the state, leaving a local share of about $396,000. He identified the regular operating budget increase (about 5.6%) as driven largely by negotiated salaries to bring staff pay to Cumberland County averages, higher benefits/insurance costs and energy and transportation expenses. Howell said the district plans to add 59 pre-K slots; he described the district cost as $625,000, with the local share at about $115,000 and estimated state subsidy of roughly $510,000.

Howell and other presenters emphasized the distinction between the expenditure side (articles 1'11) and the revenue side (articles 12'14) of the warrant. Howell said state subsidy for the middle school and pre-K reduces the net tax impact: the district expects an increase of nearly $3.3 million in state subsidy next year, and he estimated the effect on the school mill rate at about $0.55 per $1,000 of assessed value on the Windham side. Howell noted Windham's fiscal capacity assessment means it receives more state subsidy for the middle school than Raymond, and he gave examples: on a $500,000 house the school portion of taxes would change by roughly $250 in Windham (about $0.55 per $1,000) and between $0.79 (state valuation) and $1.43 (Raymond valuation) per $1,000 for Raymond depending on which valuation is used.

During the public comment portion that followed, residents asked for more line-item detail and raised concerns about the timing of the pre-K expansion. Peter Dollard asked how voters can evaluate large line-item sums when only net totals are printed; Diane Shively (Raymond) said she opposed expanding pre-K while household budgets are tight. Board members and staff responded that full line-item details and prior public budget meetings were posted on the district website and that the pre-K expansion is largely covered by state subsidy.

Howell also noted other program and staffing changes embedded in the budget: reallocation of teaching positions across elementary schools, addition of a pre-K teacher and educational technician positions, some reductions where positions had been vacant, and continuing investments in classroom technology and building maintenance. He stated the district was's per-pupil spending was below the state average, and that next year the district expects to receive slightly more than $21 million in state subsidy to support the budget.

The meeting proceeded to take votes on the warrant articles after the overview. The superintendent offered to take questions at the meeting; he and staff repeatedly pointed attendees to the district website and the public budget meeting minutes for full line-item detail.