Revised $11.5 million SAD 41 budget will be brought to July 23 meeting

MILO — Several weeks after SAD 41 residents voted down a proposed $11,907,487 budget for 2025-26, a revised figure of just over $11.5 million was approved for the upcoming district budget meeting. This will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday July 23 at the Penquis Valley School with a 5:30 p.m. information session.

A figure of $11,500,911 was approved by the school board during a July 2 meeting in the Penquis Valley School cafeteria. This sum represents a 2.33 percent increase from the 2024-25’s $11,239,156 budget, instead of the 5.95 percent increase to $11.9 million voted down via a count of 219-118 across the three district communities. 

Last month the budget was voted down in each town, 84-34 in Brownville, 17-10 in LaGrange and 118-74 in Milo.

“The process was challenging, we are at a point in the budget process where it is now uncomfortable,” Superintendent Darcie Fournier said. The first 2025-26 spending plan was best for students, she said, as some cuts were made to bring the total down by more than $400,000.

These cuts were not recommended but were made to gain community support, Fournier said.

She mentioned the Penquis Valley school counselor position was not filled after the previous position holder resigned and an IT position was moved to Title V funding with federal monies now covering the position. There will not be an administrative assistant for special education and transportation with these duties being shifted around.

“It is a lot more redistricting with a lot less people to do it,” Fournier said.

“We can live with this, it is different and not what we wanted,” she said, saying the $11.5 million budget can still provide for students.

“I really need to emphasize we have got to get this budget to pass,” the superintendent added.

The budget approved on the evening of July 23 will be moved to a referendum in Brownville, LaGrange and Milo on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

In other business, Fournier explained how the Marion C. Cook School in LaGrange, the former site of the AOS 43 central office, will be converted into a pre-K program for 3- to 5-year olds. State law requires all school districts to offer pre-K by September 2027, including those with special needs. 

SAD 41 has been approved to be part of a state pilot program for the pre-K program and the initiative will be fully funded by a grant for the first two years, she said, including for renovations and equipment for the young age group.

“Other schools are learning from us,” the superintendent said.

“You will not see that in our budget, we didn’t talk about it in our budget process because it’s not there,” Fournier said.

This past year SAD 41 had 22 pre-K students. The 60-year-old Milo Elementary building does not have the capacity for more students or additional programs, which is why the program is moving because otherwise some pupils may have been turned away.

“We are officially out of the AOS, that has been dismantled as of July 1,” Fournier said as the joint structure with SAD 31 of the Howland area was dissolved at the start of the academic year as was agreed upon in late 2024.

The superintendent’s office is moving to the Penquis Valley complex and will be located at the former site of the life skills space. Before LaGrange, the superintendent’s office was located in its own building on the Penquis Valley campus at the corner of Penquis Drive and West Main Street.

Floors need to be waxed before file cabinets, desks and chairs go in and this will be done after the middle of the month.

“It’s looking really, really nice in there,” Fournier said.