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Saco Public Schools previews budget: health insurance and special services costs rise
Summary
Superintendent Ray presented a preliminary budget with a 4.69% increase and a 10% health-insurance assumption; Jessica Clark warned special-education adult transition services will need about $200,000 in additional funding to cover students aging into post‑school services.
Superintendent Ray told the board the district’s preliminary budget reflects a 4.69% overall increase and currently assumes a 10% rise in health-insurance costs. Ray said tuition was budgeted on a baseline of about 920 students and that the district has not yet removed costs related to paid family medical leave because the final numbers remain uncertain.
“It's important to understand that probably the biggest things that will happen moving forward will be health insurance,” Ray said while outlining the operating assumptions.
Jessica Clark, director of instructional support, told the board that special-education costs include roughly $200,000 in added expenses to provide adult transition services for students aging into services between ages 21 and 22. Clark said the district has absorbed those students but that there is no dedicated external funding to cover adult transition staffing and placement costs. “For the number of students we’re anticipating that year, it’s about $200,000,” Clark said.
Superintendent Ray said the administration is coordinating budget timing with the city manager so that city and school budgets are aligned; he also noted the district will continue to monitor enrollment (including kindergarten counts) before finalizing staffing requests. Board members and administrators emphasized that salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of school budgets, and that some capital funds – including a $450,000 capital allocation mentioned in the meeting – are available for facilities work.
The board did not adopt a final budget at this meeting; administrators said more detail and checks between cover and detail pages would be completed before formal adoption.
