Voters in New Gloucester and Gray have the opportunity to weigh in on MSAD 15’s proposed FY 2025-26 school budget at the annual budget validation town meeting. It will be held on Thursday, May 22, at GNG High School, 10 Libby Road in Gray.
The formal meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., with voter check-in beginning at 6 p.m. Residents can register to vote at the meeting.
Budget overview. The District’s May 2025 Community Budget Message, recently mailed to residents and available at this link, provides an overview of the proposed $35,405,316 FY26 budget. The booklet includes anticipated revenue and tax impact projections, along with the District’s mission, strategic plan goals and budget history for context.
The May 2025 budget message recaps some of the key additions, reductions and increases behind the proposed FY26 budget. Among additions: a Special Education teacher, cellular bus radios, facilities work, and Middle School math materials. Among the reductions: eliminating 1.5 teacher positions, 5 ed tech positions and 0.8 of a secretary position.
Among increases are contractual salary and step increases, a 12 percent increase in health insurance premiums, a 10 percent increase in property insurance, and bond payments and interest for the Air Quality improvements voters approved last year.
Taken together, the result is a proposed budget reflecting a 5.99 percent increase over the current year, adult education included.
For year-to-year and regional comparisons, the District has traditionally used a budget figure without adult education. Using that for an apples-to-apples comparison, the figure for FY26 is 5.93 percent–a smaller increase than last year’s and the year before–and below that in several neighboring communities’ proposed FY26 budgets. Per pupil spending in MSAD 15 is similarly at the low end of the regional range, according to District data:
Estimated tax impacts. After state support and other revenues are taken into account, the estimated tax impact for a resident with a home assessed at New Gloucester’s median value of $250,000 is an additional $240.14 if the budget as proposed passes. A Gray resident, where the median assessed value is $476,000, would see an estimated increase of $309.19. Two-thirds of the amount to be raised falls to Gray—66.71 percent—the remaining 33.29 percent would come from New Gloucester.
The Superintendent’s perspective. Asked what she would want voters to know ahead of the May 22 meeting, Superintendent Chanda Turner responded, “I think what I would want people to know is that our proposed budget represents months of meticulous planning and thorough financial analysis to ensure every dollar serves our students’ educational needs while maintaining fiscal responsibility.”
Turner continued: “We have worked hard to increase transparency throughout this process, providing detailed documentation of the budgetary process and decisions throughout. We worked to leverage resources such as our Capital Reserve to attain our strategic plan goals, including investment in our facilities, while minimizing the impact on the proposed budget. We would appreciate public support for the process through attending the May 22 validation meeting and voting on June 10.”
The proposed budget and budget process in detail. Voters seeking the detail behind the budget can review the District’s April 16, 2025 budget presentation at this link. Links to the full array of budget-related reports and presentations, including from departments and building administrators, meeting minutes and more can be found at msad15.org/school-board/budget/
The May 22 meeting and subsequent budget process. Voters at the MSAD 15 town meeting/budget validation will hear an overview of the FY26 budget and, as at New Gloucester’s recent annual town meeting, will have an opportunity to ask questions or offer comments before voting on each article on the warrant.
After that, the next step for the FY25-26 school budget will be an up-or-down district-wide vote on the final budget number from the May 22 meeting. That referendum vote will be June 10, 2025, on the ballot as part of each town’s municipal election that day. In New Gloucester, the polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fire Station, 611 Lewiston Road, on the June 10 election day.
But first comes the town meeting/budget validation conversation and vote on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the High School.
— Joanne Cole
