Superintendent presents RSU 22 FY27 budget: $40.99 million, 17.2 FTE cuts offset rising costs

The superintendent presented the proposed RSU 22 FY27 budget of $40,987,650.92 at a board budget workshop, saying the figure represents a 0.5% gross increase over the current year. "It is in all seriousness a 50 slide presentation," the superintendent said at the start of the workshop, adding the district has run an eight-meeting budget process that began in March and traces back to work starting last November.

The presentation emphasized enrollment declines and revenue shifts. The superintendent said the ED 279 enrollment count used for state aid is 2,075 for FY27 — a decline of 58 students from the prior ED 279 — while current, actual enrollment is about 2,037. She described superintendent agreements that transfer funding with students (48 incoming and 27 outgoing) and said the district reduced its tuition projection from 55 to 45 students because about 20–22 tuition students are graduating.

Wages and benefits make up roughly 73% of the proposed budget (just over $30 million). To keep the budget increase small, the superintendent said the district would eliminate 17.2 FTE positions tied largely to lower enrollment. "We did eliminate some of the positions," she said, and listed specific cuts in instruction and special education, including two academy teachers, a kindergarten teacher at Smith School, one Reedsbrook middle-school teacher, nine educational technicians and one Hampden Academy special education teacher.

The presentation broke the budget into articles. Article 1 (regular instruction) is proposed at about $14.8 million (+3.44%) and includes a funding reclassification that moves an interventionist from federal Title funding to local funding (no net new position). Article 2 (special education) shows a notable decline driven by the eliminations; Article 3 (CTE) contains no local cost because the state now pays the United Technology Center directly and the district only budgets transportation. Article 4 (other instruction) — athletics, clubs and extracurriculars — is proposed at roughly $1.2 million (+6.29%).

Transportation (Article 8) is proposed at $1,590,664.02 (+10.9%) and includes regular routes, special-education transport and UTC runs; the superintendent flagged volatile fuel and bus contract costs as the primary drivers. Maintenance and utilities (Article 9) rise by about 11%, and the presentation confirmed the district funds 67% of two school resource officers' wages/benefits, with municipal partners covering the balance. Debt service (Article 10) is projected to decline about 8.6% in FY27, with multi-year projections showing the Camden Academy debt retiring after FY32.

Reserve recommendations include adding $500,000 to a capital reserve for ADA/playground/HVAC/roofing work, increasing the athletic facility reserve by $215,000 (continuing a $150,000 turf contribution plus $65,000 for Reedsbrook fields), and adding $275,000 to the technology reserve. The technology recommendation includes a $50,000 contingency in case a State of Maine personal electronic device ban requires the district to supply devices to students who currently bring personal laptops or tablets.

The superintendent warned of longer-term funding pressure tied to town property valuations and pending state funding changes: several towns in the RSU saw valuation increases (smallest +11.1%, largest +16.8%), and she said LD 22/26 will change the state funding model to consider economic disadvantage; once hold‑harmless provisions expire in about three to four years, RSU 22 could receive less state aid and face higher local assessments.

Next steps: the board is expected to vote on the budget at its next meeting; the district budget meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the downstairs gym, and the referendum vote is set for Tuesday, June 9 at four polling sites (8 a.m.–8 p.m.), with absentee ballots already mailed.