Bath, Woolwich, Phippsburg and Arrowsic residents could be asked to pay for a school budget that’s up nearly $2 million from the current spending plan, despite several positions being eliminated or going unfilled.
Regional School Unit 1 officials have been meeting with residents and parents in recent weeks to pitch its proposed $47.6 million budget, which is nearly a $2 million increase over the current $45.6 million school budget. If voters approve the school budget in June, the amount raised through taxes would increase by roughly 3% in Arrowsic, 7% in Bath and 9% in Woolwich. Phippsburg would see its contribution decrease by roughly 1%.
The big spending drivers for the 2027 school budget include rising special education costs, increased health insurance premiums, contractual wage and benefit increases, and some increases in contracted services. Increasing oil and gas prices are also cause for concern, Superintendent Patrick Manuel said during Monday’s school board meeting in Bath.
The budget proposal includes a one-time funding opportunity of $85,000 from the Maine Department of Education meant to help school districts with a high percentage of disadvantaged students. RSU 1 has roughly 42% disadvantaged students, according to Manuel.
The 2027 budget may include an additional $50,000 for two part-time secretary positions for Fisher Mitchell School and Dike Newell School.
The district proposes cutting an education technician at Bath Middle School but replacing a librarian with another education technician.
Woolwich Central School will lose an education technician and leave a part-time world language teacher position unfilled but will have the Bath Middle School world language teacher fill in.
A nursing position at Phippsburg Elementary School will be reduced from full time to part time. Fisher Mitchell School will add two education technician positions for the next fiscal year.
The last opportunity for a final public comment on the RSU 1 budget is 6 p.m. Monday, May 4, at Morse High School. The budget then goes up for approval at a district budget meeting on May 26 at Morse High School. Voters ultimately will decide whether to accept the budget at the polls on June 9.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less