Fifth SAD 4 budget to be brought to Oct. 27 district meeting
Cooperative Dexter-PCHS girls basketball team planned
GUILFORD — Two days after a $9,501,135 2025-26 SAD 4 budget was voted down at the polls via a 327-297 count across the six district communities, the fourth time a proposed spending plan did not pass in the district, a revised budget was approved by the school board during an Oct. 16 meeting at Piscataquis Community Elementary School.
A new total of $9,491,905 was moved to be brought to the district budget meeting which will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27 at PCES, with an information session beforehand. The total approved that evening 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 by $9,231 from the $9.5 million-plus figure.
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.
“We felt like we need to make at least an effort to reduce it,” Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen said.
The $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.
“It seems rushed because in order to be on the Nov. 4 vote it had to be on this tight deadline,” MacFadyen said.
The figure of just over $9.5 million voted down on Oct. 14 was less than the $9,531,320 brought to voters at the previous two referendums in September and July and was 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 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.
In other business, the school board approved having a cooperative varsity girls basketball team with neighboring Dexter Regional High School.
New Piscataquis Community Secondary School Athletic Director Tom Panciera said numbers have been down the last few years — there has been one Pirate girls team and not separate varsity and junior varsity squads.
STRETCHING DURING THE GAME — Dexter’s Hannah Dean and Ava Goulette of PCHS reach for a loose ball during a January 2023 contest in Guilford. Looking on are PCHS’ Abbey Ricker (23) and freshman Brooke Hunt. The SAD 4 School Board gave its approval to a cooperative girls team between Dexter and PCHS for the upcoming season with the Pirate players to be part of the Dexter squad.
Eight girls have signed up about a month before the start of practices. Panciera said two have never played basketball before and he wondered what would happen come January with a small, inexperienced roster.
Per Maine Principals’ Association rules, if a team is unable to finish a varsity season then it is ineligible to play at this level for the ensuing two seasons.
Admitting there will be mixed feelings, Panciera said Dexter is willing to have a cooperative team with PCHS. The two schools have had similar arrangements in recent years, with Pirate athletes being able to play football in Dexter and last spring several PCHS baseball players were part of the Tiger squad, with them playing key roles on a team that reached the Class C North championship
The cooperative still needs to be formally approved by the SAD 46 School Board and MPA.
In 2024-25 Dexter girls basketball went 13-5 to finish sixth in the Class C North Heal Point standings, reaching the semifinals (falling 35-32 to second-seeded Mattanawcook Academy). PCHS finished last season at 5-13 and 16th in the standings, not qualifying for the postseason.
For the upcoming season Dexter will again be in Class C North, the middle of five classes under the revised classification system of A, B, C, D and S. The PCHS girls would have been in Class D North, the second smallest of the five.
In her board report, PCES Principal Anita Wright thanked HUGS.
“We are able to continue on with a lot of things here because we have the support of HUGS,” she said. Wright also thanked the dedicated teachers who seek out grant opportunities that can provide for students without using tax dollars.
“It’s an extra bonus in a way for the community,” the principal said, mentioning some residents may not realize this.
PCSS enrollment is now at 209, Principal Lee Pearsall said.
She said the attendance rate is 93 percent, very similar to what she reported at the previous school board meeting.
This prompted Wright to tell the directors about an attendance program at the pre-K to grade 6 school. Classes with 100 percent attendance for the week earn a gold star and 10 gold stars earn a “Pirate Excursion” reward.
Special Education Director Nicki Greene said that Panciera will be an ed tech at PCSS, saying he will be especially great with this age group.
“I think we couldn’t ask for a better win for that to come together for our district,” she said, as Panciera will be an ed tech and athletic director.