Work continues on RSU 68 budget
DOVER-FOXCROFT — RSU 68 officials are continuing with work to develop the budget for the 2024-25 academic year. Superintendent Stacy Shorey gave an update during a meeting Tuesday evening, March 5 at the SeDoMoCha School.
She said she is awaiting insurance information with the high end projections of such expenses expected to come in the following week. Shorey said the preliminary insurance rates should be ready by the beginning of April.
Earlier this year RSU 68 received the preliminary funding report from the Maine Department of Education. “We did have an increase of $422,000 from last year,” Shorey said at last month’s meeting about the ED 279 report. In the current RSU 68 budget $7.45 million is provided by the state as part of the near $13.4 million total. The near $13.4 million figure is up by $566,665 (approximately 4.4 percent) from the previous year’s $12,817,099.
“We are working to have no more than a 3 percent increase to taxes,” she said in February.
The 2023-24 budget includes a $3,953,595 local contribution and another $647,481 in local additional monies (those above what the state requires and approved via a specific warrant article at the annual district budget meeting in May). The local contribution was up by nearly $190,000 while the local additional amount was $100,000 less than 2022-23’s.
Shorey said with the current projections for next year, three of the four RSU 68 communities would see a slight increase in assessments while Monson’s share would be up by about 7 percent.
The 2023-24 combined current assessments between Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson, and Sebec were up by $94,971 to a figure of $4,670,845.
Charleston and Sebec both saw a slight decrease in proportional shares of the 2023-24 budget, down about $5,000 and $3,600 respectively from the previous figures of $621,975 and $682,845.
For Dover-Foxcroft the increase was a bit more than $19,300 from $2,771,576. Monson had an approximate $84,000 increase from $499,477. The community’s valuation went up and per the state funding formula, the Maine Department of Education deemed the town having the ability to pay the full cost of educating its students.
In years past the finance committee has worked to bring a proposed budget to the full school board at its April meeting, with a vote by the directors coming in May. Later that month would be the annual district budget meeting, with the total spending planning approved then moved to a referendum in June for final approval.
In other business, the school board voted to have no school on Monday, April 8 as tens of thousands of visitors could be in the region to view the total solar eclipse.
Around 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 8 the moon will be fully in front of the sun for a total solar eclipse, after leading up to the event starting at around 2 o’clock that day. Among the best viewing spaces in the country will be Piscataquis County and other parts of Maine to the north.
Shorey said district administrators have met several times to discuss the day next month, and at first had considered an early release. “The concern of our emergency management folks is traffic will be very heavy,” she said, saying this may be especially true for the students that would have been heading home to Monson.
Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Cameron Archer provided an update on the current athletics season.
“Wrestling has had three meets so far, they’re off to a good start,” he said. Archer said the Eagles roster has 21 grapplers, the largest in several years.
The SeDoMoCha Middle School unified basketball team had its first home game earlier the day and began the season at Brewer the week prior.
“It’s really refreshing to be a part of it and these kids are excited to get on the court,” Archer said.