$11.5M SAD 41 budget moved to Aug. 6 referendum

MILO — A proposed 2025-26 budget of just more than $11.5 million for SAD 41 will go before voters on Wednesday, Aug. 6 for final approval.

An SAD 41 budget of $11,500,911 was passed during the district budget meeting in the Penquis Valley School cafeteria on July 23. This figure will now go to a referendum vote in the district communities of Brownville, Lagrange and Milo two weeks later on Aug. 6.

Last month SAD 41 residents voted down a proposed $11,907,487 budget for 2025-26. Since then district officials worked to develop the revised $11.5 million spending plan, which was approved by the school board on July 2.

This new 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. The budget was voted down in each town, 84-34 in Brownville, 17-10 in Lagrange and 118-74 in Milo.

“By law we need a passed budget,” Superintendent Darcie Fournier said, saying after the June referendum vote SAD 41 officials went back to the drawing board. A budget needs to be passed instead of simply reverting to the previous year’s numbers, she said.

“Our priority still is students first,” the superintendent said, mentioning educational programming and safety.

The more than $400,000 reduction from the first 2025-26 budget to the second includes not filling a Penquis Valley school counselor position 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.

The 14 articles making up the $11.5 million budget were all approved as written during the meeting, with about 45 voters in attendance.

In 2025-26, SAD 41 will receive just under $7,317,000 in Essential Programs and Services state funds, a decrease of $858.

In order to receive these funds, district communities must raise $1,363,756, which is $24,530 more than the previous school year. The school district will also ask communities for $1,455,209 in local additional funds — a $352,870 increase. The request for $1.45 million in local additional monies passed via a 41-4 legally-required written ballot.

That brings the local contribution for the proposed budget to $2,865,779 including SAD 41’s $46,813 proportional share of the Piscataquis County Adult Education Cooperative budget, which is spread across four school districts. This increase is due to several factors, including the district’s withdrawal from AOS 43, a lack of a fund balance to carry over and that the three communities in the district have each seen an increase in valuation.

The $2.8 million in total location contributions is divided proportionally between Milo (48.04 percent), Brownville (33.98 percent) and Lagrange (17.98 percent).

The three town shares are $973,784 for Brownville, a 135,810 (16.21 percent) increase; Lagrange would see a $53,701 (11.63 percent) increase to $515,283; and for Milo a $1,376,711 portion of the 2026 SAD 41 budget is up by $190,606 or 16.07 percent.

The Marion C. Cook School in Lagrange, the former site of the AOS 43 central office, will be converted into a pre-kindergarten program for 3- to 5-year olds for the fall, Fournier said. State law requires all school districts to offer pre-K by September 2028, 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 so the initiative is not part of the 2025-26 budget.

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 across the district. Grants will cover needed age group building renovations and equipment in Lagrange, program and supply costs and additional staffing.

When asked, Fournier said the program will be all day and not half day so parents will not have to worry about mid-day transportation and childcare during school hours.

About 30 students are currently set to be enrolled, the district had 22 pre-K pupils last year.

A special education teacher will need to be hired for the young age group and SAD 41 has a candidate, Fournier said. 

“Our current pre-K teacher is ready to get moved as soon as the floors are waxed,” she said. The student to teacher ratio is 1-to-8 so another teacher will be hired, covered by state grant funds.

“I’m really excited and it’s going to be incredible for our students,” Fournier said. “They’re going to have a public school experience and social programs.”