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

• This budget applies $1,200,000 of fund balance to reduce the tax impact on towns.
• 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

• 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).
• 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.