RSU 35/MSAD 35 superintendent outlines $1.69M budget proposal; requests 3.95% tax increase

Superintendent Heidi presented the district's proposed budget for the coming school year, asking voters to approve $1,687,693 in new expenditures that would fund contract roll-forwards, added support staff and a package of strategic investments that the administration says are aligned to board goals.

The proposal includes roughly $1.15 million in roll-forward and base adjustments (salary and benefits), about $225,000 in level-service net changes and $284,000 in strategic investments, Heidi said. She summarized the major drivers as collective-bargaining increases, a 10% health-insurance assumption and added special-education staffing.

Why it matters: the superintendent said the request would translate into a 3.95% overall tax increase for local property owners and that, because of the district's cost-sharing formula, the split between South Burwick and Elliot will be uneven. "We're asking for really an additional $853,189 in additional tax revenue," Heidi said, adding that "just the cost of those educational technicians and health insurance is about $800,000." The board was told South Burwick's property-value growth and higher enrollment leave it more exposed to the increase.

Key elements of the proposal include adding six-to-eight educational technicians (the administration budgeted for eight to maintain a reserve), two half-time high-school position cuts to address small sections, a half-time assistant principal at Central School (to combine literacy-coach duties and provide administrative coverage), and a new math interventionist at Central School. The superintendent also recommended increasing technology staffing (moving a 0.65 FTE tech teacher to full-time) to expand course offerings such as robotics and coding, a 0.5 world-language position, and modest investments in athletics administration and communications (a 0.2 FTE placeholder).

On transportation and safety, Heidi said the district has stabilized bus runs after driver hires and route consolidations but proposed purchasing three new vans (lease purchase). The chair reported state supplemental funding includes $6 million to help districts install bus crossing arms; the superintendent said districts will likely apply via grant.

Numbers presented by the administration included: a 10% health-insurance budgeting assumption ($377,986 in the presentation), contractual salary increases totaling roughly $770,000, and an estimated $400,000 for added educational-technician staffing. The administration presented a total of $1,687,693 in proposed new expenditures.

Context: Heidi framed the budget around board goals (student engagement, culture of compassion, academic excellence and preparing future-ready learners) and stressed that "67.5% of our entire budget is salary" and "another 17.44% is benefits," emphasizing the personnel-heavy nature of the budget.

Quotes from the presentation included: "we serve just under 2100 students," "this past year, we've operated with a budget of just under $39 million," and "we are asking for really an additional $853,189 in additional tax revenue." The administration said most of the changes are driven by fixed costs and student-need-driven staffing changes rather than discretionary programs.

Next steps: the superintendent said this is the first presentation; the administration will put numbers into warrant-article form for upcoming workshops and public hearings. The board scheduled interviews for superintendent candidates (see separate item); no final budget vote occurred during this meeting.