Summary of Proposed Budget

FY25

Budget Priorities

• The priorities for the budget process have remained constant, and those are:
• Make decisions based upon what is in the best interest of students.
• Determine how to best utilize resources to meet the needs of ALL students/meet student needs that aren’t currently being met. 
• Be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers. 

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Critical Needs

• Support for Incoming Kindergarten Students (early investment and support for “school-ready” skills through summer programming, additional staffing, etc.).
• Continued support for attendance and behavioral challenges (additional ed tech positions).
• Facilities Needs (vehicles and equipment to maintain District schools).
• Transportation Needs (wages and benefits to attract and retain CDL drivers, New Bus).

Final Staffing Determinations (See Handout)

• Without continued Federal funds (ARP) to pay for interventionists, those positions at BDES and MOS will be eliminated.
• Removal of the proposed additional MOS Grade 3 position.
• Addition of three educational technicians, one at each school, to establish additional resources beyond the classroom to support student behavioral challenges.
• Application of $150,000 of Local Entitlement (Federal special-education grant) to pay for two out-of-district placements and a portion of speech services.
• Application of Title I funds to pay for one instructional position and ed techs in each school.

Major Influences on Funding

• State Valuations
• Student Counts

Valuations (capacity to pay)

Student Counts (% of costs assigned)

Local Required (Student Count)

Local Required (Valuation)

Local Required - Total

Local Over EPS (60% Valuation/40% Student Count)

FY25 Budget Summary

Budget-to-Budget Increase

Total$ %Inc. $Increase Town Impact

• FY25 $23,351,674 5.80% $1,283,195 $688,483 5.27%
• FY24 $22,068,479 1.50% $ 338,835 $354,370 2.79%
• FY23 $21,729,644 3.69% $ 773,289 $(139,602) -1.12%
• FY22 $20,956,355 -2.11% $(451,829) $(169,726) -1.30%
• FY21 $21,445,159   3.28% $ 681,896 $(300,661) -2.26% 
• FY20 $20,763,263   4.15% $ 827,027 $429,834 3.33%
• FY19 $19,936,236 5.75% $1,084,726 $320,502 2.55%
• FY18 $18,851,510 *9.61% $1,652,370 $590,134 4.93%

*First bond payment principal and interest (1.4 million).

Brownfield

Denmark

Fryeburg

Lovell

Stoneham

Stow

Sweden

Unique Nature of MSAD 72

Town Assessment Trend

State Funding

• FY25 $7,867,521 (44.50%)
• FY24 $7,475,777 (43.99%)
• FY23 $7,583,590 (44.12%)
• FY22 $6,820,037 (40.77%)
• FY21 $6,672,312 (40.17%)
• FY20 $6,112,682 (39.11%)
• FY19 $5,573,571 (37.30%)
• FY18 $5,260,143 (38.34%)
• FY17 $4,327,730 (32.89%)
• FY16 $4,109,156 (30.87%)
• FY15 $3,652,940 (29.09%)
• FY14 $3,289,119 (26.97%)

Use of Fund Balance

1. This budget applies $1,200,000 of fund balance to reduce the tax impact on towns.
2. We will also ask for voter approval at the District Budget Meeting to establish a “Secondary Tuition Reserve” using $250,000 of fund balance to account for unanticipated increases in secondary enrollment.

Town Assessments

Back to Priorities

1. This budget helps us meet student needs through added positions (Special Ed Case Manager/Teacher, five Ed Techs to support self-contained programming, two Ed Techs to support incoming kindergarten students, and three Ed Techs to support students in need of behavioral support District-wide).
2. Also, given the negative financial situations that many taxpayers are facing, the goal of presenting a budget that taxpayers can support is incredibly important. By reducing staffing and applying fund balance to lower the tax impact, we have taken all reasonable steps to create a budget that meets our goals while being affordable to tax payers.

Next Step

We will have a May 22^nd (7:00 PM at The Molly Ockett School small gym) District Budget Meeting to gain public approval for the budget.

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The Board will also have a very brief meeting next Wednesday at 6:00 to sign warrants after the Board approves a budget.