MEXICO — Some of the 25 or so people who attended the first of two public informational meetings on a proposed RSU 10 budget had a difficult time understanding why this second budget is higher than the first, which was narrowly defeated in June, while calling for less local money than the first budget did.
Newly hired Superintendent Craig King led his first informational meeting Tuesday night, along with six RSU 10 board members.
He said political action in Augusta occurred between the time a proposed $36.2 million budget was defeated, and the creation of a second, board-approved budget of $36.5 million.
“The district has to pay $468,000 in teacher retirement costs,” he said. “We cut $128,500 from the budget.”
He said the state provided $345,700 in additional state aid, bringing the total state share for the proposed year to $19.2 million, or 53 percent of the total budget. The 12 member towns will pay 45 percent of the total. Another 2 percent comes from miscellaneous revenues.
For the 2012-13 budget, state aid made up 51 percent of the budget; the local share was 47 percent.
The local share dropped by 0.36 percent between the 2012 and 2013 operating budget.
Hartford resident Barry Langer said Tuesday the district could have cut more from a $36.5 million budget.
“The total budget went up nearly 4 percent (from the 2012-13) budget,” he said. “Sixteen million dollars is a significant contribution from the district towns.”
Business Manager Mary Dailey said the $468,000 in teacher retirement funds that had previously been paid by the state had to be added to the budget.
“The $345,700 additional subsidy somewhat offset the $468,000,” she said.
King said the school district, still new at four years old, has a disadvantage because it has not been able to create any carryover funds that could go toward the towns’ school tax liability.
“Since you are so new and have existed in a recession, you are not able to create a carryover. Maybe in 10 years, you’ll have a carryover as a cushion,” he said.
King said Tuesday was his eighth day on the job.
“I’m not seeing a lot of fluff (in the budget) and I’m not seeing the board as insensitive to their communities,” he said. “The work over the next two or three years is to see what we can accomplish. I don’t see anyone’s property taxes dropping. We must make sure our dollars are spent wisely.”
The second public informational meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 24. Residents can vote on each of the 15 articles of the proposed budget at a districtwide meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford.
A final spending plan will be voted on July 30.
RSU 10 comprises Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, Peru, Byron, Mexico, Roxbury, Rumford, Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner and Hanover.
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