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Residents press Mount Vernon Select Board to press RSU38 on carryforwards, consolidation and transparency
Summary
During public comment, residents urged the Mount Vernon Select Board to press the regional school district (RSU38) to explain and return unassigned carryforward balances, and to engage earlier in the district budget process; board members discussed reserve accounts, state caps and school consolidation as possible long-term responses.
Residents used the public-comment period to press the Mount Vernon Select Board to seek greater transparency and action from the regional school district on its budget carryforwards and reserve accounts.
A speaker during public comment said the district consistently comes in under budget and cited figures from recent years, saying last year the district ended with about $545,357 in unassigned balances after transfers and previously held as much as $2.5 million. The speaker urged the select board to ask the district to return funds to help town services or reduce local tax burdens.
Board members and a presenter described why districts hold carryforwards: cashflow timing between tax receipts and expenditures, state caps on reserves, and the recent creation of special reserve accounts for facilities. A board member explained that districts often set aside about 2% of the budget in cash to bridge July-August gaps and that districts vary in their reserve structures.
Discussion turned to whether the town should press RSU38 earlier in the budget process. Several select board members urged repeated engagement: inviting the school budget representative (Leslie Marco was introduced as the town representative to the budget committee) to present the finalized budget to the select board and to provide more opportunities for the towns in the district to weigh in before votes occur.
Speakers also discussed consolidation of elementary schools as a structural option to reduce costs, noting small enrollments at several elementary schools and potential efficiencies from centralizing services. Board members said consolidation is politically difficult but remains a primary lever for long-term tax relief.
The select board did not take a formal vote to direct staff or to send a formal request to RSU38 during the meeting, but members agreed to consider holding a separate public forum and to invite district budget officials to an early presentation so towns can offer input before budgets are finalized.
The public commenter framed the issue as immediate: while districts prudently reserve funds for facilities, sizable carryforwards raised questions about whether available funds could be used to reduce tax burden or address pressing local needs. Board members asked the district budget representative to return to the select board with a finalized budget and to explain reserve-account usage.
