| Joanne Cole, NGX |
At this point in a typical budget cycle, the MSAD 15 school board and district leaders would be applying finishing touches and preparing for a budget validation vote. Not this year.
The Covid-19 outbreak has not only upended the timetable but made planning and forecasting unusually challenging. District superintendent Craig King told NGX by email that the school board “is taking a very conservative, cautious approach to the development of the budget.”
In mid-April the district released a detailed 2020-21 budget presentation outlining the revenue, expenditure, and programs picture as understood and expected at that time (links here). Under that draft budget, dated April 15, the local share to be borne by the towns would increase 1.89% over the current year, to north of $16.4 million. According to superintendent King, New Gloucester’s portion for FY21 will be 35.35%, which amounts to $5,828,793. Last year New Gloucester’s share was $5,825,168, according to town budget documents. Next year Gray would once again do the heavier lifting: 64.65% of the total.
Budget forecasting. Uncertainty after uncertainty make it impossible for schools and families to know what impact the virus outbreak will have on the school year ahead. In the nearer term, the outbreak has complicated Maine schools’ budget planning, including whether Augusta will be able to meet the state general aid to education revenue targets previously shared with districts. In MSAD 15’s case, this state funding (“ED279”) was projected to be $10.9 million, $545,000 more than last year, according to the district’s April 15 budget presentation.
Asked whether the anticipated state funding is likely to hold firm, King said that Maine commissioner of education Pender Makin recently indicated to Cumberland County school leaders that preserving the ED279 funding is a priority for her, and he doesn’t question the commissioner’s commitment.
At the same time, because the funds come from state tax revenues, and business activity and sales are sharply down, King recognizes that the anticipated revenues may not materialize. “As a school district, we need to be prepared for some type of budget curtailment if we do not get our full state general purpose aid as represented in the ED279,” he said.
Budget process. The Covid-19 outbreak has also extended the budget timeline and left important procedural questions open. As ever, the board continues to hold budget workshops with public participation, albeit now remotely via Zoom. Also, the board also “can and will” finalize a formal budget recommendation remotely, King said. And the governor has confirmed the school budget vote will be held on July 14, according to King.
The question is the budget validation meeting. King noted that the district must follow specific laws and guidelines for passing a budget. “What we can’t do,” he said, “is have a budget validation meeting remotely. The budget validation meeting requires we provide a public meeting open to all registered voters. Each warrant article is voted upon by physically casting a ballot by the public at this meeting.” The district is awaiting guidance from the governor on how school districts can meet this requirement. King added, “We hope to have an answer very soon.”
Budget goals. Offering a broader perspective, King said, “The stated goal of the MSAD 15 School Board is to create a budget with a 0% tax impact to bring to the voters. Most, if not all, school board members have publicly stated their desire for a 0% tax impact. We do not know the tax consequences for the two towns since it is the towns who set the municipal tax rate. However, the school board is taking a very conservative, cautious approach to the development of the budget.”
The board will resume its discussions at a budget workshop on Wednesday May 6 at 7:30 pm. The public can attend remotely by logging in on Zoom shortly beforehand at https://msad15.org/district-news/
