HARPSWELL

School Administrative District 75 is proposing a $37.6 million spending plan for the 2016-17 fiscal year. That proposal would increase the local share of education costs by 2.65 percent — or $582,048.

The proposed $37,677,566 spending plan is a 2 percent increase over the current budget.

The K-5 student enrollment is dropping by about 22 students from this school year to next, which isn’t all in one grade, so it makes position reductions difficult, said Superintendent Brad Smith, speaking at a budget presentation at Harpswell Community School on Monday.

The spending plan will cut two fourth-grade teachers — one at Bowdoinham Community School and one at Woodside Elementary School in Topsham. A second-grade teacher will be added at Williams-Cone School — the one elementary school in SAD 75 that has seen an enrollment increase since 2013.

Smith said potential budget factors include enrollment, cost of employees, special education spending, charter school funding and the high school construction project.

The contractual salary increases total nearly $355,500 or 3 percent.

Smith said the district doesn’t know yet what the health insurance costs will be, so it budgeted for a 3-percent increase.

Student needs

Smith said there are some students whose needs require special programming outside of the district. Out of district placement costs are at about $300,000 for the current school year — $147,000 more than was budgeted. An additional $140,000 has been included in the 2016-17 spending plan to cover these costs.

“The best we can calculate, given the change in funding for charter schools, is that we have lost perhaps $155,000,” Smith said. “We expect to see that impact each year for the next couple of years.”

Smith said the district has budgeted $150,000 for architect and other fees related to the high school construction project. Most of this money will be reimbursed by the state if the proposed project is approved at a future referendum, he said.

Staff changes

The district is also looking to reallocate some of its resources to support programs, Smith said. Administrators propose to convert a high school English teacher to a Response To Intervention reading teacher.

A high school social studies teacher position would be diverted to an alternative education program for grades 9 and 10. Currently, it provides an alternative education program for students in grades 7 and 8.

“In special education, I think the single biggest impact we’ve seen this year has been on behavioral needs of students at our elementary schools,” Smith said. “Each one of our elementary schools has struggled at times with meeting the needs of students.”

Administrators propose to converting several existing special education positions to behavioral support positions — one at each of the five SAD 75 elementary schools.

There are no additional funds required for these reallocations, Smith said.

“It’s simply reusing our resources differently to better meet student needs,” he said.

There were only a couple people in the audience at the finance committee’s budget forum in Harpswell on Monday. A second budget forum starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Williams-Cone School in Topsham and the final budget forum starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Bowdoin Central School.

There will be a budget hearing on May 12 and district budget meeting May 26. The resulting school budget goes to referendum on June 14.

SAD 75 numbers

HERE IS THE IMPACT the spending proposal will have on residential tax bills in the SAD 75 communities:

• Bowdoin: A typical home worth $178,000 would see an estimated annual tax increase of $56

• Bowdoinham: A typical home worth $178,000 would see an estimated annual tax increase of $54

• Harpswell: A typical home worth $425,000 would see an estimated annual tax increase of $24

• Topsham: A typical home worth $182,000 would see an estimated annual tax increase of $66

HERE IS HOW the SAD 75 spending increase could be divided amongst the four communities in the district:

• A 2.69 percent or $72,169 increase for Bowdoin

• A 2.62 percent or $71,715 increase of Bowdoinham

• A 1.3 percent or $99,500 increase for Harpswell

• A 3.8 percent or $338,664 increase for Topsham