Near $9.5M SAD 4 budget set for Tuesday’s referendum
GUILFORD — For the fifth time in six 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 $9,491,905 was approved at the district budget meeting on Monday evening at Piscataquis Community Elementary School. The total will be part of a referendum question on Tuesday, Nov. 4 in the towns of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington. Nov. 4 is the day of the state election.
The fifth version of the SAD 4 budget is down $9,231 from a $9,501,135 figure voted down at the polls earlier this month via a 327-297 count across the six district communities, the fourth time a proposed spending plan did not pass in the district.
At the Oct. 14 referendum the $9.5 million was approved in Guilford at 108-62, 73-62 in Sangerville and 14-6 in Wellington. The budget was voted down in Abbot at 78-32, 35-29 in Cambridge and 84-41 in Parkman for the 327-297 total or a difference of 30 among 624 votes.
The figure of just over $9.5 million was down from the $9,531,320 brought to voters at the previous two referendums in September and July and was about $250,000 less than the first budget of $9,752,463 that appeared on the June ballot.
All the articles making up the proposed $9,491,905 ended up being approved as written during the district budget meeting with 48 voters in attendance.
Since mid-October a $9,231 reduction was made in a field trip account, but the HUGS parent group may be able to make up much of this difference through its fundraising efforts so the money does not need to be part of the budget.
The 2024-25 SAD 4 budget was $9,247,391, and the fourth version SAD 4 budget referendum had the amount being up by about 3 percent.
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.
The budget being brought to Tuesday’s referendum has the combined towns’ local required share up by $29,387 from last year to $2,982,900 for 2025-26. This amount, which was approved by a required recorded vote of 40-6, is needed in order to receive the state subsidy.
A sum of $1,828,959 in local additional monies was requested. This warrant article was approved by a count of 36-9 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 $4,865,115, which is down by $35,729 from 2024-25’s $4,900,844.
Abbot would have a $675 (0.07 percent) decrease in its assessment to $936,866; Cambridge’s $342,908 proportional share of the SAD 4 budget is up $770 (0.23 percent); Guilford’s share is $1,291,789, down by $54,837 (4.07 percent); Parkman would have a $20,469 (2.17 percent) decrease to $923,465; Sangerville’s $1,104,242 share is up $41,271 (3.88 percent); and Wellington’s $267,632 assessment represents a $1,789 (0.67 percent) increase from 2024-25.