RSU 12 superintendent tells Westport Island residents budget up 5.1% as tuition, special-education and insurance costs climb

Superintendent Howie Tuttle told the Westport Island Select Board on April 14 that RSU 12's proposed 2025-26 budget totals about $28.66 million, a 5.1% increase over the current year driven mainly by higher high-school tuition, several expensive special-education placements and rising insurance and wage costs.

"On May 21st the budget has to be set by the people in the room," Tuttle said, describing the two-step process that leaves budget-setting to attendees at the district meeting and a June 10 referendum to ratify that locally set figure. He urged residents to attend both the May 21 district budget meeting and the June 10 referendum vote.

Tuttle told the board that several largely uncontrollable items are the primary budget drivers. He said a recent change in the insured-value factor applied to private-school capital (moving from the 6% rate long used by the district toward 10%) added roughly $200,000, and that projected high-school tuition increases and other tuition obligations contributed to an estimated $668,000 increase in tuition-related costs. He also said five out-of-district special-education placements, at about $65,000 each, increased special-education costs by roughly $390,000.

Other pressures cited included a 14% district health-insurance increase tied to statewide experience ratings, and new or recently implemented state laws such as LD 974 (which established a minimum wage for education support staff) and the Paid Family Medical Leave implementation, all of which expand personnel costs.

Tuttle highlighted several district cost-savings and investments: RSU 12 participates in adult-education and special-education collaborations that save hundreds of thousands annually; it has a solar power purchase agreement that covers about 12% of a solar field in Brooks, Maine and is estimated to reduce electric costs by roughly $28,000 a year; and the district acquired two electric buses with a federal grant that have so far reduced fuel costs by an estimated $10,000 annually. He also said the community eligibility program for school meals is saving the district about $50,000 a year by increasing federal reimbursement.

For Westport Island specifically, Tuttle presented local figures showing the town's share of the proposed budget is about $1.0 million, an increase of approximately $80,000 from the previous year. He pointed to rising property valuations in much of the RSU (a three-year rolling average increase around 12—to—13% in parts of the district) that have reduced state subsidy and therefore raised local shares.

Tuttle urged residents to review the budget documents and attend the district meeting, noting that while the board recommends a budget the final on-the-floor decisions at May 21 can change individual cost centers. "We're trying to get through this year and hopefully pass a budget that will benefit our students," he said.

The superintendent's presentation included line-item and cost-center detail and concluded with an invitation to the May 21 district budget meeting and the June 10 referendum. The board did not take action on the budget during the April 14 meeting; it was informational and preparatory for the upcoming public meetings.