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RSU 18 board adopts $47.16 million FY27 budget; members urge unanimous community support
Summary
The RSU 18 board approved a $47,157,904.19 FY27 budget by voice vote after a presentation showing varied town tax impacts; board members emphasized outreach and unanimous backing in communities.
The RSU 18 board voted to adopt a FY27 school budget of $47,157,904.19 after a presentation from the superintendent outlining updated figures and town-level tax impacts. The motion to adopt was made by Chris and seconded by Andy; the chair called the question and the motion carried by voice vote.
Superintendent (speaker 1) framed the package as lean but balanced and showed estimated tax impacts per $100,000 of assessed value, noting differences driven by local valuation changes. "The impact to Belgrade is 2.4% ... China 4.3% ... Oakland almost 6.7 ... Sidney 7.9," the superintendent said, adding the Kennebec County median home value (~$320,000) to help residents understand dollar impacts. The superintendent also described steps taken to reduce projected health-insurance increases and internal operational cuts to hold the budget to an approximately 3.5% year-over-year rise.
Board members praised the budget process but urged continued outreach. Andy urged colleagues to aim for a unanimous vote to show solidarity to their communities, saying a split vote "can be misinterpreted by the public." Several board members agreed to advocate for the budget in their towns and for the superintendent to present to local leadership and answer community questions in the coming weeks.
Next steps: the board will disseminate the final materials to each town and the superintendent said he would post the presentation and town-by-town packet online and offer to present at local budget meetings.
