Board approves cell-phone policy, personnel nomination and calls budget referendum; motions carry

The RSU 73 school board recorded several formal actions during the special meeting.

Policy GBF (employee use of cell phones and other electronic communication devices) received a second and final reading and was adopted after a vote that board members recorded as carried.

The board moved into executive session pursuant to the statute cited in the meeting ("1 MRSA456A") to discuss a personnel matter. After returning from executive session the board moved to nominate Kaylee Stanley for the position of special-education teacher at Spruce Mountain Primary School; the motion was seconded and carried.

The board approved warrants and voted to call a referendum for budget validation and limited capital purposes, authorizing the notices of amounts adopted and the public hearing schedule. Board members clarified that the district-wide budget-to-budget increase is 3.18%, while the local tax impact will vary by municipality: Jay would see about a 12.7% increase, Livermore about 8.7%, and Livermore Falls about 5.3%, figures the board said are driven by property valuations and student-population allocations.

Throughout the meeting motions were recorded as "motion carries" and no roll-call tallies were provided in the record for these items. The board closed the meeting and reminded members to sign required documents and to note an upcoming public hearing on boiler financing tied to a proposed bond.