HOULTON, Maine — With little fanfare, about 54 Houlton school district voters approved the $17.8 million RSU 29 fiscal year 25-26 budget on Monday night at Houlton Middle High School.
Unlike previous annual budget voting sessions that threatened teacher jobs and rising taxes, this year’s 5.24 percent increase — with minimum cuts to student programs and staffing — went unchallenged by voters.
An increase in state funding made it possible for the district’s local contribution request to remain the same as last year, at $4,288,723.
“We are very fortunate the state did give us more money,” said Superintendent Joe Fagnant during a brief budget presentation before the vote.
The towns in the district are Houlton, Hammond, Littleton and Monticello.
Last May, nearly 300 people attended the district budget meeting. Following a somewhat contentious discussion about staff cuts and rising property taxes, voters approved a $16.9 million budget.
In 2023, the school district began trimming staff and line items by eliminating 17 positions and cutting $1.2 million from the budget.
Over the past five years the district has reduced 30 positions, and this year’s budget includes the reduction of one teaching position by not refilling a vacancy, Fagnant said Monday night.
Continuing pressures on the district include dramatically increasing state valuations of towns, decreasing enrollment and federal funding uncertainty.
This year’s district town valuations rose 7.5 percent overall with Houlton’s valuation increasing 8 percent to $25.8 million; Littleton, 7.6 percent to $4.7 million, Monticello, 5.4 percent to $3.1 million and Hammond, 3.3 percent to $300,000.
Fagnant asked the Monticello and Houlton town managers if there was any new construction, new buildings or businesses that would contribute to such significant growth. They replied, “no.”
“The state believes that there is more money in our communities to pay for education,” he said. “That’s something we are really going to have to look at.”
Also at issue is the district’s student enrollment that dropped from 1,248 to 1,200 this year, according to Fagnant.
“Enrollment is going to be very important next year,” he said.
Resident Carl Young talked about the continuing decreases in student enrollment.
“The student population continues to decrease and the school budget goes up,” said resident Carl Young, during the meeting. “What are we going to do about that?”
Fagnant said that costs and staff contracts continue to go up, pointing to increases in minimum wage and state mandates.
Former Houlton town councilor Sue Tortello pointed out during public comment on Monday night that Fagnant mentioned several times that the school funding formula is no longer sustainable.
“Every year it is not sustainable to come to the towns with hat in hand and ask them for more money,” Tortello said. “Why [is] it not working? Perhaps it’s time to address our legislators to try to work on this issue.
“I think this could be an excellent opportunity for the towns to get their governmental agencies to work with the school boards throughout Aroostook County,” she said.
