To the editor:

I urge the voters of Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell, and Topsham to join me in voting against the School Administrative 75 budget at the polls on June 12.

At a time when unemployment remains too high and many families are still struggling to make ends meet, the proposed budget includes a tax increase that we can’t afford. A “no” vote will send the SAD 75 board back to work to produce a budget that doesn’t seek more from beleaguered property taxpayers.

The enrollment in SAD 75 has been shrinking for the last 14 years and the district has failed to restructure the system to fit a much smaller student population.

Enrollment in SAD 75 peaked at 3,364 students in October 1997. This past October, enrollment in the system was only 2,602 students.

In 1997, the SAD 75 budget was $22,015,440 or just over $6,500 per student. The proposed budget for the coming year is $33,394,830 or just under $13,000 per student.

Over the last 14 years, student enrollment in SAD 75 has dropped by 23 percent while the budget has increased by 55 percent overall and has nearly doubled on a per student basis.

This is a trend that is unsustainable and unacceptable. SAD 75 needs a major restructuring and must be right-sized to fit today’s significantly smaller student population. Though such an effort will take time and careful thought, the first step must be to stop the bleeding by rejecting the proposed tax increase at the polls on June 12.

Dan Billings
Bowdoinham