RSU 18 presents FY27 budget draft showing 3.95% increase; board debates reserves and staffing additions

Superintendent Ben presented an informational first draft of the FY27 budget and described comparative analysis across about 41 districts. He said RSU 18’s per-pupil spending in 2025 is $18,419 compared with a peer average near $20,000, and that the district’s proficiency metrics were higher than many peers. "We looked at these 41 school districts... Our per student cost from 2025 is 18,419," Ben said.

Ben proposed two staffing additions: a dean of students at Mesolonsky Middle School to oversee tier-1 behavior supports and an alternative-education program, and a school counselor at China Middle School to provide more consistent tier-1 social-emotional support. He said the two additions added roughly $207,000–$243,000 to the budget but that offsets (vacated positions, reallocations) would limit net impact. The draft budget would use an $800,000 balance-forward and projects a 3.95% increase in spending; Ben quantified the town-level tax impact by example: "This 3.95%, the impact on a $100,000 home in Belgrade would be $22.81," he said.

Board members debated whether the district should try to hold the increase closer to 3% or use portions of fund balances to reduce town assessments. Several members emphasized that a large portion of the budget is salary and benefit costs from collective-bargaining agreements and that repeatedly using reserves would deplete them. The board directed administration to provide a clearer breakdown of allocated versus unallocated fund balances, projections for FY28–29, and options for potential offsets before the next meeting.