Ellsworth school leaders present FY27 budget, seek 7.85% local appropriation; school board vote set for Tuesday

School officials presented the Ellsworth School Department’s proposed FY27 budget at a joint workshop with the city council Thursday, asking the city to support a 7.85% increase in local appropriation and outlining staffing adjustments, curriculum investments and major technology and debt costs ahead of a school‑board vote Tuesday and a council special meeting next Thursday.

Amy Athetherton, accounting manager for the Ellsworth School Department, told the joint meeting the administration trimmed the earlier budget-to-budget increase to 7.85% after additional review and that the version‑three packet and a four‑page handout with cost‑center definitions and an acronym cheat‑sheet were intended to help councilors follow details.

Why it matters: the schedule set by city staff would place the budget on a June referendum if the school board ratifies the proposal Tuesday and the council affirms it the following Thursday; the presentation included both one‑time reserve moves and ongoing cost increases that affect taxpayers and operations.

Key budget decisions and program highlights - Staffing and class sizes: Athetherton said enrollment changes led the department to recommend adding a fifth first‑grade classroom while reducing four teaching positions (a pre‑K teacher, a kindergarten teacher, a third‑grade teacher and a middle‑school ELA teacher). She emphasized the reductions were enrollment‑driven and that the district will retain four public pre‑K classrooms, with the fourth to be operated by the YMCA under contract.

- Curriculum and instructional investments: The FY27 request includes funds to adopt new math curriculum for grades 6–12 (the district recently updated ELA, science and foreign language) and to continue an instructional technology upgrade across the district. Athetherton said the administration intends to use a previously budgeted $125,000 as a down payment and finance the remainder to purchase AV/interactive technology districtwide at bulk prices, reducing per‑classroom inequities.

- Special education and new positions: The proposal continues tuition payments where students’ IEPs require private placements. The budget adds a main‑care billing specialist the district expects will generate revenue to offset its salary, and a pre‑K coordinator that the district said will be 50% funded by state aid under new state requirements for services to four‑year‑olds.

- Career and Technical Education growth: The Hancock County Technical Center (HCTC) cost center will add two programs, including a firefighting partnership supported by a grant; presenters said about 11 students were expected to enroll in the firefighting program in the fall. HCTC enrollment overall has risen, which the presenters cited as evidence of growing demand for workforce training.

- Debt service, facilities and safety investments: The presentation’s debt table shows several new FY27 payments, including a tax‑exempt lease purchase for energy efficiency projects and initial payments for long‑term renovation financing. Presenters warned the intercom replacement districtwide could cost roughly $700,000–$900,000 and recommended financing it over time. They framed the intercom and AV projects as safety and recruitment/retention priorities.

- Reserves and fund balance: Athetherton said the administration would apply fund balance to the budget (stating a figure of “1.6” in the presentation materials) and proposed reallocating roughly $275,000 among several reserve accounts: $15,000 toward HCTC minor capital, $25,000 to special education reserves, $25,000 to student transportation reserves, $75,000 to a new facilities reserve, moving a previously budgeted $125,000 into an AV project reserve, and $10,000 for food service equipment repairs. (The presentation used the shorthand “1.6” for the fund‑balance amount; the specific units were not specified on the slide.)

- Fixed costs and compensation: Presenters said about 90% of the school department budget consists of fixed costs such as salaries and benefits. They highlighted a new negotiated teacher minimum salary of $50,000 to make the district more competitive.

Council questions and discussion Councilors pressed for enrollment trends and clarification of per‑pupil math. Athetherton and Nikki Chan (assistant superintendent) provided recent counts: the district total was presented at about 1,242 students this year with fluctuations at the elementary/middle and high‑school levels; HCTC enrollment was reported to have grown from the mid‑200s to over 300 students in recent years. Councilors and staff discussed how state tuition formulas and fixed costs interact with tuition paid by sending towns: presenters explained state tuition calculations exclude some district costs and that additional students can help offset fixed building costs.

Councilors also raised affordability and housing context: one councilor noted that a $50,000 minimum teacher salary remains below certain local income thresholds and recorded that observation for the record. Members discussed transportation cost pressures and whether contracted services might reduce workload and maintenance burdens.

Next steps Athetherton said the school board is scheduled to vote on the recommendation Tuesday; if the board ratifies the proposal, the council will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. the following Thursday to consider affirming the board’s budget resolutions and to potentially act on other time‑sensitive agenda items (including the fire apparatus selection). If both bodies act, the budget would be placed on a June referendum ballot as required by law.

Quotes "We felt like we reduced things and made some really hard decisions with this budget to try to keep taxpayers in mind," Athetherton said, describing the balance between program needs and cost control. "These two projects [intercom and instructional technology] really are pinpointed strategic plan items that we've put in our budget for this year."

Audit note Presenters referenced a state supplemental budget and state subsidy increases; the presentation used shorthand on one fund‑balance figure (“1.6”) without specifying units on the slide. The school delegation and council committed to providing more detailed breakout numbers to the council ahead of the Tuesday and Thursday votes.

Ending School and city leaders thanked staff and councilors for their review and said additional departmental and benefits reviews are scheduled in coming workshops; the meeting closed with an invitation to the public to follow the upcoming school‑board and council sessions.