$9.5M SAD 4 budget moved to Oct. 14 referendum
GUILFORD — For the fourth time in five months, SAD 4 residents will head to the polls to vote on a budget for the 2025-26 academic year.
A proposed spending plan totaling $9,501,136 was approved at the district budget meeting on Oct. 1 at Piscataquis Community Elementary School. This figure of just over $9.5 million is down from the $9,531,320 brought to voters at the previous two referendums in September and July and is about $250,000 less than the $9,752,463 that appeared on the June ballot.
The 2024-25 SAD 4 budget was $9,247,391, and the fourth SAD 4 budget referendum has the amount being up by about 3 percent.
All the articles making up the proposed $9,501,136 were approved as written during the district budget meeting with 65 voters in attendance. The total approved is now moved to a referendum on Tuesday, Oct. 14 in the SAD 4 towns of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington.
The district’s state funding is down by nearly $150,000 to $3,264,110, Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen said.
“We’re paying for more of our students’ education than we did before,” she said.
As a result, the combined towns’ local required share will be up by $29,387 to $2,982,900 for 2025-26. This amount, which was approved by a required recorded vote of 44-10, is needed in order to receive the state subsidy.
To get down from the June budget of over $9.75 million reductions were made including approximately $94,000 by eliminating the Learning for Life program (the dozen alternative education students will be accommodated through other programming), $72,000 for not filling an IT position with the employee having left the district and $38,000 for no longer having some assistant sports coaches that were set to be added in 2025-26.
More recent changes to go from $9,531,320 to $9,501,136 include removing $49,319 from local additional monies and making by the difference by taking out $30,183 from the general fund and moving $19,135 from renovation reserve to carry forward.
A sum of $1,913,700 in local additional monies was requested. This warrant article was approved by a count of 49-17 via the required recorded ballot.
Each district community has its local required figure, additional local amount and costs for the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative (SAD 4’s proportional share of the 4-district regional program is $53,256 of nearly $450,000).
Four of the six district six towns would see an increased assessment in 2025-26. The total combined assessment is $4,949,856, which is up by about $49,000 or 1.00 percent.
Abbot would have a $15,645 (1.67 percent) increase in its assessment to $953,187; Cambridge’s $348,882 proportional share of the SAD 4 budget is up $6,745 (1.97 percent); Guilford’s share is $1,314,279, down by $32,346 (2.4 percent); Parkman would have a $4,386 (0.46 percent) decrease to $939,549; Sangerville’s $1,123,487 share is up $60,515 (5.69 percent); and Wellington’s $270,469 assessment represents a $2,837 (1.06 percent) increase from 2024-25.