MSAD 60 board reviews roughly $51 million budget as reading program is added and cuts are proposed

Summary

At a March 26 RSU 60/MSAD 60 budget workshop the administration presented a proposed budget that would raise school expenses by about 4.2%; the board debated a K–8 literacy program funded partly from fund balance, proposed position cuts totaling roughly $477,000, and tradeoffs including class sizes and an SRO.

The RSU 60/MSAD 60 school board met March 26 in a budget workshop to review proposed cuts, new program spending and facility requests as administrators sought to reduce the district’s originally proposed increase.

Administrators said they had identified about $477,000 in cuts—reducing modular costs, trimming grounds and plumbing contracts, cutting one proposed custodian and several proposed positions—and reported school expenditures near $51 million, representing roughly a 4.2% increase in expenses over last year. The administration asked the board to consider using fund balance for several one‑time purchases and for start‑up costs tied to a new literacy program.

Why it matters: Board members said the community expects academic improvements and pressed administrators to show a clear link between spending choices and instructional outcomes. Several members urged the board to bring the increase closer to a 3.0% target; administrators said getting below 4.2% would require additional cuts…

MSAD 60 board reviews roughly $51 million budget as reading program is added and cuts are proposed

Summary

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