LIVERMORE FALLS — Concerns about a possible tax abatement for Verso Paper Co. prompted Jay RSU 73 board member Michael Schaedler to begin a discussion of what may happen to the school district and the district’s three member towns at Thursday’s board meeting.
“What is the reality of the abatement?” he asked. “If we lose half our income, are we taking that into consideration?”
Board member Shari Ouellette, also of Jay, said information on the possible revaluation may be forwarded to the Jay Board of Selectmen in late October.
RSU 73 Superintendent Robert Wall said a change in Jay’s valuation will not only affect Jay taxpayers, but also those in Livermore and Livermore Falls.
Schaedler also said that no one knows yet whether a revaluation will affect the 2014-15 operating budget.
“Are there any recourse to make adjustments?” he asked.
Wall said the board’s Finance Committee has discussed potential implications on the Verso situation.
“It’s more complicated than Jay’s valuation. It’s the state valuation and how long before it catches up. From all indications, it will not affect this year’s budget,” Wall said. “We are prepared to react.”
He said he has met with the three town’s managers and boards.
“We’re waiting for substantive information. There are a lot of factors, and we’ve looked at worst-case scenarios. We want to be responsible but have to wait until we have solid information,” Wall continued. “We’re dealing with real numbers right now. If those numbers change, we’ll look at the process.”
Livermore Falls board member Tammy Frost said she believes sometimes “we lose sight of the students during the budget process.”
“The budget we vote on is for the students,” she said.
For right now, Wall said the district will set the school tax rate based on the current valuations.
“When we have new numbers, we’ll plug those in,” he said.
In other matters, Spruce Mountain High School Principal T.J. Plourde said that the incoming freshman class will begin their high school careers with standards-based report cards.
Also, he said, teacher Rob Taylor is leading an effort between Verso and Kennebec Valley Community College to begin a pulp and paper program at the high school.
In another student job-related matter, Plourde said, Jobs for Maine Graduates is working on a plan to introduce a cooperative program that would include a work-study component during students’ senior year.
High school social studies teacher Sue St. Pierre described a grant that had led to a new partnership with Norlands Living History Center, where students will digitize artifacts for inclusion on the Maine Memory Network website.
Following a 20-minute closed session, the board voted to sign memorandum of agreements with several bargaining units as the next step in bringing the two former school districts unions together.
The next regular board meeting is set for 6 p.m. April 24.
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