RSU 5 superintendent outlines budget tiers, proposes school reconfiguration options

Tom Gray, RSU 5 superintendent, told the Durham Select Board and residents on March 9 that a status‑quo budget for next year would exceed 10% and that reducing that increase to recent levels would require deep cuts to staffing.

Gray said he analyzed three tiers requested by the RSU 5 board — 6%, 7% and 8% — and recommended the middle, 7% tier. “If I were to take a status‑quo budget next year… it would be an increase of over 10%,” he said, adding that returning growth to the district’s recent 6.5% pace would require roughly $2,000,000 of reductions — about 17 teaching positions.

Why it matters: wages and benefits make up roughly 85% of RSU 5’s budget, Gray said, which limits options to non‑personnel savings. He told the public that the board will adopt a budget on March 25 and that the board asked staff to produce tiered budgets so officials can choose policy priorities.

Gray also described three longer‑term reconfiguration scenarios intended to address space constraints and differences in middle‑school programming across the district. He noted a recent state law shifting responsibility for special‑education services for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds to school districts by July 2028, and he said RSU 5 plans to take responsibility for 4‑year‑old special‑education services next year, with 3‑year‑old services phased in later. That shift creates space and staffing pressures because many 3‑year‑old services are not yet screened and districts expect demand to rise once they offer services.

The three scenarios Gray described were: keep the current configuration; repurpose Powell School as a districtwide early‑childhood center (consolidating 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds); or maintain split early‑childhood sites but consolidate sixth‑grade students at Powell. Gray said Powell’s layout could accommodate consolidated early‑childhood services with renovations, while the other scenarios carry different trade‑offs for travel, athletics and perceived equity.

Gray said the board authorized staff to seek a professional facility study (an RFQ to hire an architectural firm) to assess building renovations, transportation impacts and renovation costs; he estimated the study would conclude in December 2026 after bidding and design work. He stressed any major change would require further board votes and, depending on the legal status of closures, could trigger town referendums.

Residents pressed on specifics — how many positions are currently filled versus open, the count of pre‑K children (Gray estimated about 128 four‑year‑olds next year, with 25 on IEPs), transportation implications, assistant principal coverage, and where potential study costs would come from. Gray said the school is investigating grant and startup funds for early‑childhood transitions but cautioned that state subsidy rarely covers full local costs.

What’s next: the RSU 5 board will continue deliberations in their meetings; the superintendent said the board expects to adopt a budget on March 25. The facility study RFQ will be drafted and discussed at a facilities committee meeting ahead of issuance.