$7.4M SAD 4 budget moved to June 8 referendum

GUILFORD — A proposed 2021-22 SAD 4 budget totaling $7,448,288 was approved during the annual district budget meeting held May 26 in the Piscataquis Community Elementary School cafeteria. The approximate $7.4 million figure will now go to a referendum vote on Tuesday, June 8, at the respective polling places in the district communities of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington.

During the information session before the meeting, Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen said in the 2021-22 academic year SAD 4 will see an approximate $46,500 reduction in its local required allocation to $3,065,687 from a figure of $3,112,166 for the current year. 

“That actually is a direct correlation to enrollment,” MacFadyen said. She said the pupil count is down by 33.

The superintendent said the district’s expenses have still risen. “So the result is we need more local additional funding,” MacFadyen said. 

The proposed 2021-22 SAD 4 budget calls for $790,307 to be raised in local additional monies. This figure is up by $86,529 from $703,777.

“The budget itself is only up 0.68 percent,” MacFadyen said about the $7.4 million-plus total.

She said the combined assessment for the six SAD 4 communities is up by 1 percent. The $3,903,968 figure is $40,050 more than the $3,863,917 that was approved last year for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Five of the half dozen towns would see increases in assessments whereas Guilford’s share of $1,110,650 is $104,027 (8.56 percent) less. Each community has a proportional local required figure, additional local amount and costs for SAD 4’s share of the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative budget.

Abbot would see a $23,682 (3.18 percent) increase to $767,791; for Cambridge the town’s $253,221 is up by $5,230 (2.11 percent); Parkman would see a $57,962 (8.28 percent) rise to $758,190; Sangerville’s proposed share of the budget is $793,732 or a $19,008 (2.45 percent) increase; and in Wellington $220,381 represents $38,193 (20.96 percent) more than in 2020-21. 

The 22 articles for the $7,448,288 budget were approved as written by the two dozen voters in attendance in 20 minutes with minimal discussion.