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RSU 18 board reviews first draft of FY27 budget, 3.95% increase proposed
Summary
Superintendent Ben presented a first-draft FY27 operating budget totaling about $47.36 million, a 3.95% increase that would raise taxes modestly for most towns; the draft adds a dean of students and a school counselor and relies on an $800,000 fund-balance carryforward, with the board asking for more detail on reserves before action.
Superintendent Ben presented the first draft of RSU 18's FY27 budget on March 10, proposing a $47.36 million operating budget and a 3.95% increase from the current year.
Ben said the draft is a status-quo staffing plan with a small set of changes and called it "a first draft" intended for board feedback. "We looked at 40 other school districts across the state" and found RSU 18 spends less per pupil than many peers while producing higher proficiency outcomes, he said, describing the analysis used to frame budget decisions.
The draft includes two notable staffing additions: a dean of students at Mesolonsky Middle School and a school counselor at China Middle School. Ben explained the two positions are intended to expand tier-1 social-emotional supports and to oversee the district's alternative-education program; he estimated the initial additions at roughly $207,000 and later described the package of adjustments around $243,000 after offsets. "Those two positions added about $207,000," he said, and outlined offsets including cutting an alternative-ed teaching position and reallocating portions of central-office salary to other accounts.
On benefits and other drivers, Ben said negotiated salary increases and health-insurance costs are the primary pressures inside the draft; he told the board the district had budgeted a 10% increase for health insurance but early indicators suggest the increase may be lower. He also noted that nutrition operations will be fully self-sustaining next year.
The draft uses an $800,000 fund-balance carryforward to soften town assessments. When asked how much unassigned fund balance the district holds, a board member referred to the audit and said it is "about 8.2" million dollars. Board members pressed for greater transparency on how reserved and assigned fund balances are defined and for projections showing the effect of drawing on reserves over several years.
Ben illustrated the local tax impact using a $100,000 valuation benchmark: the presentation showed sample increases (for example, a roughly $22.81 annual increase on a $100,000 home in Belgrade), and the superintendent said the administration will post more detailed slides and document the assumptions used to compute town assessments.
Board members asked for additional detail on several lines, including the methodology behind the district's per-pupil efficiency comparisons, the treatment of special-education tuition, and how contract settlements were included. Multiple members requested a follow-up meeting focused solely on the budget, and Ben encouraged board members to submit specific line-item questions in advance so administration can prepare targeted responses.
Next steps: the board did not take formal action on the draft. Administration will post the budget materials online, prepare a fund-balance explanation for a future meeting, and return with any requested clarifications before the board considers warrant articles and a final budget vote.
