SAD 41 officials looking at $10M 2022 budget

MILO — Work continues on the development of an SAD 41 budget for 2021-22. The gross spending plan would be about $300,000 more than the current year’s $9,912,964 total, but the combined assessment for the three district communities would stay flat at  $2,433,581.

During a May 11 meeting held over Zoom, Superintendent Michael Wright said there would be some preliminary information discussed that evening and more in-depth budget details would be presented for a likely vote by the school board at the June meeting. 

The annual district budget meeting would be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, at the Penquis Valley School, with an information session at 5:30 p.m. The budget approved that night would be moved to a referendum at the polls in Brownville, LaGrange and Milo for final approval on Thursday, June 24.

Business Manager Heidi Finson said the 2021-22 budget includes a proposal to use $275,000 from the fund balance to reduce expenses. That account has approximately $800,000 in it. 

She said SAD 41 will be receiving about $65,000 more in state subsidy and the amount the state requires is $3,000 less than in 2020-21.

“Looking at all of this, we have just over a $300,000 increase to the budget and with that increase and what we’ve applied for fund balance it would mean that there is a zero dollar increase to what we are asking from taxes,” Finson said.

In the current budget, the amount between the required local amount, additional local monies and SAD 41’s near $42,000 share of Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative is $2,433,581.

“Brownville would have a slight increase whereas LaGrange and Milo would have a slight decrease resulting in an overall zero percent increase,” Finson said, with community’s shares based on valuation.

In the current budget, Brownville’s contribution is $785,820, LaGrange is paying $453,066 and Milo’s share is $1,194,694.