Next year’s proposed budget for the Marshwood school district is 3.4% higher than this year’s spending, mainly to accommodate higher electricity and payroll costs.
The increase of $1.1 million, bringing the budget proposed by the RSU 35 administration to $35,827,020, also funds a new boiler and new security efforts.
The increase will mean a 3% rise in the taxpayer portion of the bill, according to Superintendent John Caverly, who gave a presentation to the RSU 35 Board of Directors last month.
The board will vote on the budget at its regular meeting May 3, and residents of Eliot and South Berwick will vote on the proposal at a May 17 meeting in the high school auditorium. The final budget package then goes to a referendum vote at the polls on June 13.
Because student enrollment is basically staying flat, expected to drop from 2,121 students this year to 2,115 in 2023-2024, only one additional teacher is being hired at the high school.
The payroll costs include $209,489 more for salaries and payroll taxes, $126,402 more for teacher retirement costs, and $98,832 more for substitutes. The budget also includes $200,000 for a new boiler at the high school. Electricity costs are projected to rise by $169,458, or 161%.
Over the last two years the number of special education students has gone up, and more are now getting a higher level of service than the district can offer. This led to a significant cost increase for out-of-district placements, according to Caverly.
The superintendent told the board to be aware of future facilities costs as Central School is almost 100 years old and the new high school is now more than 20 years old.
According to the budget presentation, the total cost per student in the district is just under $16,000 a year, which includes tuition for students who go out of the district as well as in-district special education costs This figure is slightly below the state average and lower than Kittery, Kennebunk, Sanford or Wells, according to Caverly’s presentation.
Because of a miscalculation by the state that gives the local school district about $590,000 more in revenue sharing than it expected, Caverly recently amended his proposal to include some new expenses. In addition, the budget originally included $90,000 for health insurance increases that turned out not to be necessary.
Part of the extra funding will be used for a $125,000 contribution to a security grant available through the federal COPS – or Community Oriented Policing Services – program. This grant will provide another $500,000 administrators hope to use for a school resource officer at Marshwood Middle School, similar to one at the high school, and for a more secure vestibule at the entry to the high school. The new entry would require visitors to go through the main office before entering the rest of the school.
To address vaping and substance issues at the high school, Caverly is proposing adding a one-credit health course. The administration also hopes to add vaping monitors throughout the building. In addition, administrators would like to see a part-time substance abuse counselor and a part-time “transition” person who would support students as they move from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. The part-time counselor would not offer a counseling service but would work with families and could offer referrals.
The supplemental proposal also includes money for a generator at Marshwood Middle School; summer programming; updating the Eliot Elementary School playground; zero-sort recycling throughout the district; a water filtration system at the middle school; and a wheelchair accessible van
After the proposed additions, $187,000 of the adjusted state funding would remain to reduce the local tax burden from what initially had been proposed.
