The Kennebec Journal

March 2

Maranacook goes to towns, seeking $730,000

BY MATTHEW STONE, Staff Writer

MOUNT VERNON -- The Maranacook-area school district might be looking for nearly $730,000 more in property taxes from the four towns it serves as it scrambles to pay its costs for the upcoming academic year.

And that might be an untenable situation for those towns, which -- like the school district -- are facing the prospect of higher costs and decreased state subsidies.

A handful of residents, town officials, teachers and others gathered at Mount Vernon Elementary School on Monday night to offer input on the Maranacook district's proposed $14.5 million budget for the upcoming school year. They warned the district's superintendent and finance manager that residents just might not be able to afford higher property taxes to make up for a cut in state aid.

The regional school district's budget reflects a hit of almost $1 million it's expecting in its state aid package, which would fall to $4.5 million. There's also less reserve money available to get Maranacook schools -- which serve students from Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield and Wayne -- through another tight budget year.

Altogether, that's approximately $1.5 million less in revenue available to the 1,400-student school system for the upcoming year. School board members are, so far, recommending approximately $760,000 in cuts. That leaves the rest to make up for in revenue.

"The towns are undergoing enormous reductions," Mount Vernon resident Geoff Herman said. "To get a (tax) increase (of $1 per $1,000 assessed value), my guess is that would not be acceptable. It probably crosses the border of acceptability."

Mount Vernon Selectman Russell Libby said town officials have tried to keep municipal expenditures in check in recent years to account for increased costs from the schools and Kennebec County government.

"We've basically flat-funded everything in the town for two years, and we're trying to figure out if we can flat-fund for a third year," he told Maranacook Superintendent Rich Abramson. School costs "and the county tax are the two things we're dealing with here."

Abramson said district administrators are looking for additional revenues and efficiencies to offset local property tax increases -- which, according to early estimates, could exceed $200,000 in Manchester; $134,000 in Mount Vernon; $242,000 in Readfield and $110,000 in Wayne.

But "nobody wants to see us disassemble the good programs we have built over the years," he said. "It impacts staff. It impacts people, families."

As proposed, the 2010-11 budget would eliminate the equivalent of approximately 15 full-time positions in the six Maranacook schools. Many of those reductions are the result of attrition, Abramson said.

The budget would eliminate foreign-language instruction at the four elementary schools and nearly eliminate it at the middle school. Other reductions include one day less of physical education at the elementary schools and fewer gifted-and-talented program offerings.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com