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MSAD60 superintendent presents 8.61% budget increase to North Berwick Select Board
Summary
MSAD60 Superintendent Audra Beauvais told the Select Board the district’s final budget shows an 8.61% increase after a $300,000 transportation amendment; the plan prioritizes Pre-K expansion, special‑education supports and a five‑year facilities plan.
Superintendent Audra Beauvais and Assistant Superintendent Susan Austin presented MSAD60’s proposed budget to the North Berwick Select Board on June 2, ahead of a public vote next week.
The superintendent said the district worked to reduce an initial 22% suggested increase to a final 8.61% after public additions, including a $300,000 restoration to the transportation line. Audra Beauvais said district goals for the budget include absorbing the second year of Pre‑K implementation, piloting reimbursed services for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds who need speech and occupational therapy, continued expansion of the Multi‑Tiered Support System for behavior, a five‑year facilities plan and scheduled curriculum updates.
Board members pressed for details. Selectperson Wendy Cowan asked whether Pre‑K currently uses a lottery and when it would move to regular registration; Beauvais and Austin said the program still uses a lottery now but the district hopes to integrate standard registration by 2028. Cowan also asked whether pilot curricula include embedded assessments; district staff confirmed they do and said pilots are continually reviewed.
Selectperson Jonathan Hall asked how the $300,000 added at the public hearing would be used; Beauvais and Austin said the public had urged salaries, but bus drivers’ wages are set by contract and comparable with neighboring districts, so the district is examining other uses such as training and CDL licensing. Dwayne Morin noted some residents reported difficulty obtaining the printed budget book before the hearing; district staff said Edison Press mailed copies May 1 and that extra copies were made available at the public hearing.
Beauvais said Mary Hurd Academy currently enrolls 18 students and provides transition and life‑skills programming, a community clothing closet and the MSAD60 Backpack Program (about 125 backpacks distributed per week). She told the board the academy helps avoid costly out‑of‑district placements that the district estimates at roughly $120,000 per student per year. The district currently serves two tuition students from outside the district.
Chairperson Michael Johnson Jr. asked whether the district could bill insurance for speech and OT services ordered by physicians; Assistant Superintendent Susan Austin said insurance billing is onerous and has been scrutinized in the past, and staff continue to evaluate options.
The board did not take a formal vote on the budget at the June 2 meeting; the district’s budget will go to a public vote next week.
