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RSU 18 voters approve $47.16 million budget and $20.34 million in local assessments
Summary
Voters at the RSU 18 regional budget meeting approved a $47,157,904.19 fiscal 2026–27 budget and municipal assessments totaling $20,340,695.52; hand-count votes carried Articles 12 and 13 after discussion about state funding and local needs.
Voters at RSU 18’s regional budget meeting approved the school unit’s proposed 2026–27 budget and related local assessments on a series of hand-count and voice votes.
The school board recommended a total cost of $35,793,347.53 to fund public education under the state’s Essential Programs and Services model and proposed raising $20,340,695.52 in municipal assessments; Article 12 passed by a hand-count vote of 50 yes and 3 opposed, the moderator announced. Article 13, which would raise $9,756,607.87 in additional local funds beyond the state allocation, passed by hand count (49 yes, 12 opposed).
“The motion carries,” moderator Jim Israel said after the tallies were recorded during the hand-counts. The full proposed budget — which the board recommended at $47,157,904.19 for the 2026–27 fiscal year — was approved later in the meeting by a recorded vote of 51 in favor and 4 opposed.
Nut graf: Officials said the local assessments and additional funds are necessary because the state Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding model does not fully cover the district’s operating costs. In discussion before the votes, the superintendent said the EPS model was designed for funding equity, not as a complete operational budget, and that RSU 18 could not operate on the EPS dollar figure alone.
Board members and staff walked through the revenue and assessment numbers before the hand counts. The moderator explained the written- and hand-ballot procedures, clerks collected ballots and counted hands as required by the articles. The meeting record shows the board adopted Articles 12, 13 and the summary Article 14, carrying the budget forward into the next fiscal year.
What this means: Municipalities within RSU 18 — including Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney as read aloud during the meeting — will be assessed their share of the $20,340,695.52 total. The board described those municipal amounts and noted the statutory framework cited in the meeting materials (the Essential Programs and Services funding statutes), which the board read during the proceedings.
The meeting concluded after remaining articles were adopted and the board moved to adjourn. The clerks will retain the hand-count records and the district will publish the official vote tallies with the meeting minutes.
