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Superintendent outlines preliminary budget, proposes new ELL staff and CTE expansions
Summary
Superintendent Jeremy Ray told the Biddeford School Committee on March 11 that the district’s preliminary budget would add ELL staffing (a half‑time ELL director and half‑time EL teacher at the high school, and an EL teacher at the primary school), expand two CTE programs and relies in part on changes proposed in LD 2226 to increase state subsidy.
Superintendent Jeremy Ray presented a preliminary 2026–27 budget to the Biddeford School Committee on March 11, saying the plan would add targeted English‑language‑learner (ELL) support and expand career and technical education (CTE) offerings while relying on a pending state funding bill, LD 2226, to help offset costs.
Ray told the committee the district is “at the beginning stages of our budget,” and said the presentation reflects a new budgeting system, rising enrollment and program growth at the Center of Technology. He said CTE enrollment is at 512 course enrollments this year and the district has its highest overall enrollment since 1920 at 2,451 students.
Why it matters: Biddeford’s multilingual population has grown and the administration said additional ELL staff and curriculum coherence are needed to meet legal and instructional standards and to reduce downstream special‑education impacts. Ray said LD 2226 would change regional and poverty weights in the state formula, which the district expects could increase its state subsidy.
Key details: Ray listed the budget’s primary cost drivers as salary and step increases (~$1.5 million), health insurance (~$600,000) and a new payroll tax estimated at about $150,000. He proposed a half‑time district ELL director, a half‑time EL teacher based at Biddeford High School, a new EL teacher at Biddeford Primary School, a high‑school guidance counselor, an MTSS interventionist at the primary school, a math intervention teacher at the middle school, and startup funds for two new CTE programs (small‑engine repair and digital media) with program supplies estimated at $186,000.
On expected fiscal impact, Ray said the draft shows an expenditure increase of 6.86% and an approximate $1.1 million (about a 3.875%) increase to taxpayers under the current assumptions, while noting those figures could change as health‑insurance rates and other inputs are finalized.
Board reaction and implementation plan: Several trustees pressed staff on whether a half‑time ELL director is sufficient. Trustee Amy questioned “whether it’s worth jumping right into a full‑time person,” arguing district needs might justify a full‑time role. District staff, including Chris, said an outside consultant commissioned with Title III funds conducted a program review and “laid out what she thought would be a 3‑year sort of implementation plan for us as a district,” and that the proposed half‑time model is an initial, fiscally measured step aligned with the consultant’s recommendations.
Ray and staff said the district will continue to refine the budget and present updates; Ray noted the administration will meet with the city council on April 1 as part of the next phase of public discussion before formal budget votes in May.
Next steps: The committee did not take a final budget vote on March 11; staff will return with refined figures as insurance rates and other inputs are finalized and the superintendent will present the proposal to the city council in early April.
