Near $12M RSU 68 budget moved to referendum

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A proposed 2021-22 RSU 68 budget totaling $11,999,662 was approved during the annual district budget meeting on May 25 at the SeDoMoCha School. This near $12 million figure will now go to a referendum vote on Tuesday, June 8 in the district communities of Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson and Sebec for final approval.

During the information session before the meeting, Superintendent Stacy Shorey explained administrators, the school board and the finance committee created a budget that embodies the district guiding principles of making transparent, student-centered budget decisions that are also fiscally responsible with these all reflecting the RSU 68 mission statement.

Shorey said the overall budget has increased by $28,785 or 0.24 percent from the current year’s total of just under $11,970,900. She said while expenditures have increased, revenues from the state have decreased by more than $250,000 compared to 2020-21. Enrollment has also dropped by about 80 students due to the coronavirus and parents opting for homeschooling

The superintendent said district officials worked hard to provide for students’ needs while also limiting the overall assessment to taxpayers to a 0.56 percent increase. Between the $4,071,036 local contribution, nearly $600,000 in additional local monies and a bit under $64,000 for RSU 68’s proportional share of the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative budget, the four towns will be responsible for a combined $4,732,481 in assessments. The current total assessment figure is $4,706,137.

Three of the four RSU 68 communities would see increases while Monson’s share would be down by approximately $63,500, or 10.86 percent, to $521,271 from $584,769.

“Monson is down this year because the number of students in Monson is down this year,” Shorey said during a school board meeting earlier in the spring, saying the community valuation can cover all of its costs for RSU 68.

The rest of the proposed shares of the 2021-22 budget are $642,214 for Charleston, up $15,777 (2.52 percent); $2,864,532 for Dover-Foxcroft, an increase of $52,463 (1.87 percent); and $704,465 for Sebec, which is $21,603 (3.16 percent) more than in the 2021 academic year.

The 21 articles for the $11,999,662 budget were approved as written by the dozen-plus voters in attendance in 17 minutes with minimal discussion.