FORT KENT, Maine — Residents in MSAD 27 will meet Monday, May 19, to vote on the school district’s $16.5 million budget.
The figure includes a total local tax increase of $429,404 spread across the towns of Fort Kent, New Canada, St. Francis, St. John and Wallagrass.
Fort Kent’s portion of the budget will rise from $3.8 million last year to $4.1 million this year, or an 8.2 percent increase.
New Canada, St. Francis and St. John will see increases of roughly $20,000 each. New Canada will contribute $381,007, up 4.5 percent from last year. St. Francis’ contribution will be $405,822, up 6.9 percent, with St. John contributing $293,399, up 4.3 percent.
Wallagrass will see a 9.4 increase this year, with the town’s contribution going from $648,274 to $709,235.
Superintendent Benjamin Sirois, in a note to parents, staff and community members, said the proposed budget is focusing on sustaining momentum in the face of significant demographic and workforce challenges.
“Like many rural districts across Maine and the country, we are experiencing declining student enrollments, aging infrastructure, and increased competition for qualified educators,” Sirois wrote.
One of the most significant challenges is recruiting and retaining teachers and staff in the region, and the budget offers teachers competitive compensation, Sirois wrote. He said the school is also looking to save money by working with other districts to share services.
As a result, the budget for regular instruction saw the largest bump this year, increasing from $6.02 million to $6.51 million.
Fort Kent Town Manager Suzie Paradis on Monday said that while Fort Kent’s overall share will rise $312,650, it is calculated differently because the town’s budget changes by the calendar year while the school operates on a fiscal-year basis.
This means that, for this year, the town will use half of the school budget approved last year and half of this year’s proposed school budget. Next year, it will use the other half of the school budget to be approved this year and half of the next year’s school budget.
Because of this, Fort Kent’s total contribution for the current year will be $3.95 million instead of $4.11 million, she said.
Paradis said the Aroostook County government budget is also expected to increase by about $2 million this year, which would increase the town’s contribution by roughly $92,000. Combined with the school increase, that could increase the town’s tax rate by nearly 1 mill.
However, it’s too early to say exactly what the mill rate will be, since the budgets are only proposed and other factors such as state valuations have not yet been calculated, she said.
The Fort Kent Town Council reluctantly approved a warrant for May 19 meeting, which is set to take place at 6 p.m. at the high school gym on 84 Pleasant St.
Residents will vote on the budget during a June 10 election held at the town office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fort Kent residents will also get to vote on proposed changes to the town’s charter that would reduce the frequency of council meetings from twice a month to one meeting on the third Tuesday of each month. Another change would move the annual town meeting to the third Tuesday of March each year.
Elections will also be held June 10 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the New Canada, St. Francis, and St. John Plantation community centers, and from noon to 6 p.m. at the Wallagrass Community Center.
