Phillip Potenziano is superintendent of Brunswick schools.
We may have just entered 2024, but at the Brunswick School Department, we are already working on the FY 2025 school budget. And while there will be an opportunity for the community to share their thoughts with the school board at a public forum and workshop Feb. 28, I wanted to give you a preview of the issues we are addressing as part of the budget development process.
As with any budget, our number one priority is “Teaching and Learning” – our biggest investment is in our teachers and in serving our diverse student population. Teaching and learning are also the foundation of our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan.
While much of the budgeting process is a little dry and formulaic, there are a few statistics that everyone in our town might be interested in because they point to the ways Brunswick is evolving as a community – and that matters to all of us. And it is these statistics that drive our final budget recommendations.
Increased needs for special student populations
Maine has the third highest rate of students identified as needing special education. In 2024, 18.14% of the total Brunswick student population receives special education services. This number has been increasing steadily over the past four years and is likely to continue upward in 2025.
We are also seeing an increase in the number of multilingual learners (from 3.39% in 2022 to 4.5% in 2024) and students experiencing homelessness (from 2.11% in 2022 to 3.55% in 2024).
Increases in student enrollment
We also anticipate an increase in student enrollment by about 75 to 90 students due to new developments at Brunswick Landing and more families moving in from out of state. It is good news to see our community grow and know our school system must grow with it.
Increases in general costs
Of course, our budget will have to account for increases in salary and benefits of negotiated contracts, increases in insurance, facilities maintenance costs, utilities, bus fuel, heating and educational materials and supplies. School systems are not immune to the cost increases that affect all businesses, municipalities, families, households and individuals. When prices go up, we all also feel the impact.
Ways we are saving money
To offset some of the increases in funding needs, I am proposing to reduce our system’s administrative budget lines, reduce our budget for school supplies and include ways to keep electricity costs in check through on-site and off-site solar installations.
Although the overall budget is still a work in progress, I am working to keep the budget in check and anticipate presenting a formal budget proposal to the school board at the workshop Wednesday, Feb. 7. If you’d like more information on budgeting, our process, meeting times or if you have suggestions, please go to brunswicksd.org and search “budget.”
School system budgets can seem complicated in some ways, but in others, they are simple if we keep the focus on our primary purpose: to create and implement a plan to ensure our students receive the best learning experiences possible and carry that critical knowledge into adult life.
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