RSU 18 board debates FY27 budget, student-support role and use of fund balance

At a continued meeting on the FY27 budget, the RSU 18 board reviewed revisions to the proposed spending plan and debated how to prioritize student supports amid insurance and revenue uncertainty. Presenter materials in the packet showed a proposed total around $47.3 million, a roughly 3.8% increase from the current year.

The superintendent explained the packet changes, including the elimination of a vacant data-specialist position (about $76,000 in salary and benefits) and the restoration of the athletic-director stipend after trustees and staff discussed workload. The presentation noted health-insurance assumptions are budgeted at 10%; the superintendent said if the district’s share comes in at 8% or 6% the percent increase would fall materially and that final insurance figures are expected in early April.

Why it matters: the board must set a budget that balances staffing to meet student needs with the towns’ tax impact. Several members urged clearer line-item language in committee minutes, asked for kilowatt-hour consumption information for hydro power reporting, and pressed for a transparent fund-balance plan.

Board debate centered on a proposed middle-school ‘dean of students’ position. One member raised concerns that hiring an administrator risks shifting the focus away from direct classroom supports and argued a teacher, special-education teacher, counselor or alternative-education teacher physically present in the room would better serve students’ social-emotional and behavioral needs. That member said, in effect, that hiring an administrator “with an administrator salary and administrator responsibility” could reduce the district’s ability to point to classroom-level investments when engaging voters.

Other board members and staff countered that the proposed dean would spend substantial time working with students and supporting teachers. “I firmly believe this is the right call for where the middle school is right now,” the superintendent said, adding that the revised job removes the athletic director duties to preserve student-focused time.

Members also discussed district reliance on fund balance to smooth tax impacts. The superintendent reviewed reserves — including a $200,000 fuel stabilization reserve and a $1 million capital reserve — and explained the FY27 draft includes an $800,000 use of fund balance to blunt tax increases. Several trustees asked the superintendent to model alternatives (for example, using $300,000–$500,000 instead) and warned that repeatedly drawing large sums could reduce unassigned reserves to risky levels.

Separately, the board discussed special-education and related contracted services. The proposed budget increases contracted-services funding (about $30,000) to cover short-staffed speech positions and costly augmented-communication (AAC) evaluations that can run several thousand dollars per assessment; staff said some costs currently paid through contracts would be covered by filling open positions when possible.

Board members asked the superintendent to present a budget variant that includes a full-time board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) instead of continued contracting for the service. One trustee estimated the delta at roughly $100,000 and asked staff to show how that addition would change the overall percentage increase; the superintendent agreed to supply that modeling.

What’s next: board members noted the district aims to finalize materials for a vote in the coming weeks. The superintendent said final insurance numbers normally arrive in late March or early April and agreed to circulate alternative budget scenarios (including a BCBA option and lower fund-balance draws) for the board to consider ahead of the scheduled vote.

Ending: The discussion closed with agreement to continue review of line items and to convene follow-up meetings; committee dates and an extra programming-committee session will be scheduled with a doodle poll.