BRUNSWICK

“So here’s the situation,” School Administrative District 75 Superintendent Brad Smith told the school board Thursday.

“This will be the fifth year in a row where the reduced state subsidy that we receive will impact the amount of money that local towns are required to provide to maintain and operate our schools, and we’re going to see the effects of that this year — probably even more than we did last year,” Smith said in presenting a 2013-14 budget overview during a school board meeting at Maine Regional Technical High School.

SAD 75 educates students from Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham, but that number is dwindling. Of 8,260 district households, Smith said 20.5 percent have children younger than 18.

Enrollment has dropped since 2007 from 2,976 to 2,606 and could drop by another 39 students next year, he said.

Over the last four years, 96.2 positions have been cut in the district — 49.5 teaching positions; the others, support staff.

After four years of budgets that kept local contributions flat, the board proposed a $98,000 increase for 2012-13, Smith said, resulting in a $33,394,830 budget, approved by voters.

When Gov. Paul LePage announced a curtailment of $147,482, that cut the budget and raised the share of costs to local taxpayers, he said.

LePage has proposed shifting to local school districts half of $28 million the state has been paying for the state retirement program, which would cost SAD 75 $800,000. The governor also proposes to suspend municipal revenue sharing for two years, cutting $721,000 from Topsham alone.

“It doesn’t take long to figure out it’s just a shifting of financial obligations,” Smith said. “Ultimately, they all come out of the same taxpayer’s pockets. It’s just a shift; but a big one.”

Smith also reminded the board there continues to be a need for a school resource officer, Smith said, “even prior to the Sandy Hook incident.”

He’s talked to the Topsham Police Department about having a school resource officer at the high school who is also available at the middle school, “and I would say to you that, given the issues we face and what we’ve seen happen, that a school resource officer is a high, high priority for us, as well as additional security measures.

“We’re going to have to fund that. We don’t have the money for that.”

The SAD 75 website, www.link75.org, offers a budget page under the school board link where people can submit comments.

dmoore@timesrecord.com