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RSU 14 board hears budget presentations; superintendent corrects spreadsheet error
Summary
At its March 18 meeting the RSU 14 board heard maintenance-focused budget presentations from school principals, learned of a corrected state-subsidy omission in one budget sheet, and received a nutrition report showing roughly 3,600–4,000 meals served daily and plans to replace a Manchester School freezer.
Windham-Raymond Regional School Unit 14 directors met March 18 and spent a large portion of the evening reviewing school budget presentations and related operational details.
The superintendent opened the budget discussion by noting an error in one budget spreadsheet: the document had omitted anticipated state subsidy tied to ED 279, which affected one worksheet in the district budget book. "The good news though is that this is the only spreadsheet that actually has that connected to it," the superintendent said, and an updated copy was provided to the board.
Principal Ryan Caron presented a "maintenance-based" operational budget for Windham High School, saying enrollment is projected to be slightly down while full-time-equivalent staffing is up 0.2 percent because of internal reallocation. Caron said the high school is not requesting new staff but has modest line-item increases — including about $1,000–$1,500 for graduation and $3,000 for student activities — and added modest summer-school stipend increases to ensure administrative coverage.
Windham Middle School Principal Greg Applestein described no net staff additions and a reallocation of positions to match enrollment shifts across grade cohorts. Jordan Small Middle School Principal Michelle Brown said her budget likewise uses reallocation rather than hires, expands a BAR coordinator role to serve both middle schools, and adds $2,000 to STEM to support outdoor education.
Nutrition Director Jeanie Riley told the board the school nutrition program, which operates outside the general fund, now serves about 3,600 to 4,000 breakfasts and lunches daily — roughly a 4 percent increase in lunches and 2 percent increase in breakfasts from the prior year. "We did get some extra funding through a Maine local foods fund...which pays us fifty cents on every dollar that we spend locally," Riley said, noting the district maximized that match at roughly $11,000. Riley said the department built a 10 percent contingency for food-and-supply costs because market prices are volatile and that the district plans to move money for a Manchester School walk‑in cooler/freezer project into next year to expand storage capacity.
Board members and committee chairs reiterated that wage and benefit increases remain the primary drivers of pressure on next year's budget. The board was provided updated budget materials and was reminded of upcoming finance committee work on March 31.
The board approved routine meeting business during the session, including the meeting agenda and minutes.
