Sebago Public Schools proposes 5.32% FY26 budget increase, superintendent says tuition is the main driver

The Sebago School Committee on Monday approved sending a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget forward after the superintendent told members the package represents a 5.32% increase over the prior year.

Superintendent said the district is "looking at a 5.32% increase over last fiscal year," and told the committee that nearly three‑quarters of the increase is driven by tuition owed to regional middle‑ and high‑school providers under existing agreements.

The proposal includes an adjustment to add one additional day for the district social worker and reflects negotiated increases for wages and benefits, the superintendent said. She cited line‑item increases including roughly $86,312 for employee benefits and $41,686 attributed to wage changes; contracted special‑education services and speech/language supports were also listed as growing costs.

Why it matters: Sebago is a small district with a large share of its secondary students attending Lakes Region schools; the superintendent said Lakes Region tuition is higher than the state average and that the district has limited ability to reduce that expense because the tuition rates are set by contract. As presented to the committee, the tuition increase accounted for the majority of the overall change in the proposal.

The superintendent read a calculation prepared by business administrator Susan Tuttle projecting local tax impacts under conservative assumptions (including a 2% increase in the town valuation base and an unchanged mill rate). Under that scenario, the superintendent recited sample homeowner impacts: about a $78 annual increase for a $300,000 home and about a $130 increase for a $500,000 home. She emphasized these are estimates and depend on town valuation and the final mill rate.

Supporting details: The superintendent walked through enrollment figures the committee received (current enrollment cited as 222 students with a projected net increase of one student in the next year), cost‑center breakdowns (regular instruction roughly 53% of the budget, special education the next largest share), and proposed uses of limited grant funds. She also described projected changes to the district's unassigned fund balance and noted a legislative proposal to change the allowable limit for unassigned balances.

Committee action and next steps: After discussion the committee voted to approve the proposed FY26 budget and will present the budget at the town school budget meeting on May 7; the budget validation referendum is scheduled for June 10. The superintendent cautioned that federal grant levels (Title and rural education funds) are estimates and that changes at the federal level could affect revenues.

The committee's approval at the meeting was procedural to move the document forward; the transcript does not record a roll‑call tally for the vote.