LEWISTON — A $296,000 budget increase in special education spending may not pay off for city schools immediately, but it will save money in the long run.

Lewiston Superintendent Bill Webster told City Councilors that the school department does not have the programming or the space to take care of every special education student the city serves, but it still has to pay tuition when excess students attend other programs — ranging from $37,000 to $100,000 per student.

Providing for those students in Lewiston’s own schools costs about $25,000 per year.

“Even though this is a dire budget, these are positions we think are critical, benefiting not just Lewiston education but taxpayers,” Webster said.

Webster presented the school district’s working budget to councilors during a special workshop meeting Monday night at the McMahon Elementary School.

Webster said the School Committee is expected to review the budget at two more meetings before voting on a spending plan April 14. Councilors are scheduled to vote on the budget at their May 6 meeting, and it’s scheduled to go to city voters for approval on May 13.

City Councilor Mark Cayer warned school officials that the city is facing a tough budget, too. Residents may be fed up with paying property taxes.

“This year I’m hearing more from taxpayer’s voicing concerns,” Cayer said. “I realize you are presenting the most responsible budget that you can, but I would like to see it lower than it is right now.”

Webster’s recommended budget for 2014-15 calls for $61.4 million in spending, up from $58.5 million in 2013-14 fiscal year. For a home valued at $150,000, that would amount to about $102 more per year in property taxes for education.

But Webster said it’s down from his estimates when he first presented his budget early in March, thanks to better information about what the state will be paying for education.

The current budget calls for a $1.4 million in new property taxes, coupled with $600,000 in budget cuts.

Webster said that leaves the school department in much the same place it was when the budget was first presented — higher taxes and reduced services.

“Our challenge is meeting the educational needs of our children within the financial capacity of our community,” Webster said. “I’ve been saying something all along: Although things may look a little better than they did a month ago, this budget does not do either of those. It certainly doesn’t do either one well.”

At least $296,000 of Webster’s proposed spending increase is earmarked to hire more special education teachers. That includes new teachers at Geiger Elementary and Lewiston Middle School, five new educational technicians and upgrading two elementary school coordinators to full supervisory positions.

Those positions will let the district teach more of those special education students within the department’s own, less expensive, programs.

“We have to do something to get control of out-of-district tuition costs,” Webster said. “We could spend, over and above what MaineCare supports, another $40,000 or $50,000 per student.”

staylor@sunjournal.com

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