DIXFIELD — Regional School Unit 10 directors will consider whether to offer another round of teacher retirement incentives when work on the 2012-13 operating budget begins in January.
Superintendent Tom Ward said he expects another rough year.
“It’s a slow recovery. The major thing is revenues, everything is slow,” he said. “This is the third year of no (budget) increase. Each of the three years RSU 10 has been in existence we’ve absorbed the built-in increases and have made cuts.”
In 2009-10, 10 positions were cut; in 2010-11, the year that a retirement incentive was created, 10.5 positions were eliminated; and in the current school year, 6.5 positions were lost.
He said the district is working with Maine State Retirement to learn who and how many teachers would be eligible. If the number is enough to make a difference in the upcoming budget, then the board will determine the type of incentive to offer.
During 2010-11, five or six people took advantage of the $5,000 per year for three years that was offered.
Compounding the decline in operating funds has been the reduction in general purpose state aid to education. He said the state has reduced its share during the past few years from 53 percent to 44 percent. At the same time, local taxpayers have had to pay a larger share of the school costs while the overall budget has remained the same.
“We’re trying to maintain what we have,” he said. “We’ll probably have to look at some kind of increase.”
Also figuring in the funding is a shortfall the district received in reimbursement from MaineCare, which helps pay for special education and for several positions.
“We still have the same needs,” he said.
A timeline for the development of next year’s budget will be presented at the Jan. 9 board meeting.
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