Voters approve SAD 70 budget

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HODGDON — A group of 34 residents approved a $6,281,988 school budget for SAD 70 Thursday evening in just less than one hour.
    SAD 70 Superintendent Bob McDaniel said he was pleased with the turnout at the meeting and that the budget seemed to have the support of the people.
    “I am pleased that people came and asked questions tonight, because that is how they gain an understanding of the budget,” McDaniel said. “The budget now goes to referendum and I just hope people are aware of the hard work the school board has put into it. We reduced as much as we could to help keep costs down, but we do have to maintain our buildings and programs.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
IN FAVOR —Dave Berube, left, and Jack Henson, right, vote in favor of one of the many SAD 70 warrant articles May 31. Passing the time with a video game is Berube’s son Evan.
    A district referendum will be held Tuesday, June 12, in the member communities of Amity, Cary, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow and New Limerick.
    Board chairman Estela Lane served as a moderator for the meeting and explained the budget features an increase of $43,344 in spending over the previous year. Last year’s budget called for an increase of $180,000 in spending.
    However, because of increases in the required local share — the amount of money the state says the district must collect in order to receive state funds — the actual increase to towns for 2012-13 is $85,041. SAD 70 will receive $3,242,212 from the state next year, but must raise $1,679,076 (an increase of $71,721) in order to receive that funding.
    Because the district also spends more than the state says it should for EPS (Essential Programs and Services), additional local dollars must be raised to balance the budget. That additional local is $709,100.
    A breakdown of the local impact, which is based on state valuations, is as follows: Amity, $128,061 (an increase of $6,028); Cary, $114,631 (up $3,435); Haynesville, $89,691 (up $2,053); Hodgdon, $546,777 (up $23,308); Linneus, $590,903 (up $10,422); Ludlow, $221,109 (up $14,266); and New Limerick, $710,695 (up $25,528).
    Among the reasons for the increased spending were: 4 percent increase in salaries and benefits for staff totaling about $20,000; rises in fuel costs of $20,000; a $6,000 increase in electricity costs; hiring a math interventionist at the high school, at a cost of $63,000; a math interventionist for the elementary school, at a cost of $42,000; adding an elementary ed tech, at a cost of $23,130; $10,000 for an engineering study to be done for a new heating system at the Mill Pond Elementary School; $10,000 for the food services account to provide healthier foods for students; and a $9,000 increase in the athletic director’s stipend.
    The math interventionist positions had been funded by grant money last year, but that grant expired. Lane said the board felt it was critical to keep those positions to help students in the area of math.
    The district’s budget committee made a number of reductions to the spending plan during their deliberations. Among those cuts were: eliminating a school bus purchase, saving $80,000; reducing Spanish to a half-time position, saving $25,000; and a savings of $56,130 from the retirement of a school technology coordinator position.