Skowhegan-area school board approves $51.44M budget
Apr. 18—SKOWHEGAN — The Maine School Administrative District 54 board of directors approved a $51.44 million spending plan on Thursday that would come with an overall increase to property taxes of just over 2%.
With the board's approval of the 2025-26 budget, it now goes to voters in the towns of Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Smithfield to review and approve.
The district budget meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 21 at the Skowhegan Area High School gymnasium. The total budget amount voters approve at that meeting then will go to voters again for the validation referendum, scheduled for June 10.
The spending plan of $51,440,429 marks an increase over the current year of about $2,554,221, or 5.22%, budget figures show.
Subtracting the costs construction of the new consolidated Margaret Chase Smith Community School and career and technical education, the spending increase is about $1.03 million, or 2.12%, over the current year.
The $75 million school construction project is funded 100% by the state, Congressionally Directed Spending and local fundraising efforts; career and technical education is also 100% state-funded.
The proposed budget factors in the use of a large amount of undesignated fund balance, $2.44 million. It also forecasts increasing revenues from other sources to offset taxation, like billing Medicare for more services, by $485,750.
Factoring in revenue results in the 2.35% local property tax increase.
Over the last seven budget cycles, the district has averaged a 2.17% increase to taxation. Superintendent of Schools Jonathan Moody noted that is well below the average U.S. inflation rate of 3.79%.
"Very responsible and not easy," Moody said.
The proposed budget includes 15 cuts to positions, Moody said. Other board-approved cost savings include the reduction of retirement benefits for some ed techs, an efficiency lighting project, moving to a private insurance plan for Maine's new paid family and medical leave requirement, and the assumption of administrative duties to reduce contracted service costs for unemployment benefits, according to Moody.
There were few material costs that could be cut, Moody said. About 86% of the budget represents personnel costs like wages and benefits, budget documents show. Health insurance costs went up 5.19%.
"Most of our spending is in the right places," Moody said.
If voters approve the proposed budget in June, the assessments for each town would increase by the following amounts from the spending plan approved last year:
—Canaan: $62,175, or 4.99%
—Cornville: $14,682, or 1.62%
—Mercer: $31,522, or 4.92%
—Norridgewock: $91,714, or 4.40%
—Skowhegan: $83,878, or 0.84%
—Smithfield: $93,907, or 7.44%
Inconsistent increases in state valuation among the district's six towns are why, even with a modest budget increase, some towns' taxpayers will be affected disproportionately in the proposed budget, Moody said.
Each town pays its share through property taxes, and the amount each town pays is based on its property valuation calculated by the state as a percentage of the total state valuation for all six towns. Overall, the six towns' valuations went up about 10%, budget figures show. The increase, though, varied from town to town.
Moody said he may recommend the district consider other factors in its cost-sharing formula, which is based only on property valuations from the state. That change requires a somewhat elaborate process outlined in statute, involving the participation of officials from the district's member towns.
If the school board and towns pursue the change, Moody estimated completing it would take about a year.
President Donald Trump's threats to cut federal funding for Maine schools also played into budget deliberations this spring.
The threats came to the forefront after the public clash between Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, over transgender student participation in sports in Maine. The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on sex and gender identity, among other factors, which has been why the Maine Principals' Association, the governing body for high school sports in the state, allows students to compete in high school sports based on their gender identity.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday that the Department of Justice is suing Maine over the dispute. The Trump administration's Justice Department believes that Maine's law violates Title IX, a civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.
In MSAD 54, one board member, Wayne Wofford of Cornville, had proposed in March that the board vote to take an explicit stance on following federal orders over state law.
An Aroostook County district took that step this week, believed to be the first school district to do so in Maine.
The MSAD 54 board ultimately decided to table those discussions until after the budget process is finished.
Even so, four residents asked the board to take action on the issue at its meeting Thursday.
Board Chair Lynda Quinn, of Skowhegan, told them the board listens to concerns but does not typically respond to questions from the public during meetings.
Moody has told the board of directors at multiple meetings that MSAD 54 policies are believed to comply with both federal and state laws. Its Title IX policies were not updated in recent years, while legal actions across the country were underway, he said.
In his report later in the meeting, Moody did address the concerns brought by members of the public. He said Maine school superintendents met with representatives of the Maine Department of Education and the Office of the Maine Attorney General earlier Thursday.
They were told that if a district takes an action against the Maine Human Rights Act, the state Human Rights Commission will take action against the district, Moody said.
Moody also said state officials believe an individual school district's decision would not save it from any cuts to federal funding, as districts are subgrantees of the state for most federal dollars.
For those reasons, Moody continued to recommend the board hold off on making any policy changes related to sex or gender discrimination in the hope that the state resolves the issue via the Legislature, the courts or through an agreement with the federal government.
"We are not seeing a negative impact to any student in our district," he told the board. "There may be a situation where you as a board want to take action, and that is your prerogative. But the recommendation from the state and the recommendation from our attorney, and my recommendation, is not to do this. I do hope that the state is able to chart a course that doesn't negatively impact schools."
Copy the Story Link
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
12 hours ago
- The Hill
GOP tax bill would mean 11.8 million people uninsured, $1.1 trillion in health cuts
The Senate Republicans' tax and spending bill, which is speeding through the chamber, would result in deeper health care cuts and more people without insurance than the version that passed the House, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office. The legislation would result in 11.8 million Americans without insurance by 2034, CBO found: nearly 1 million more people without insurance than the House version. That amount includes an estimated 1.4 million people without 'verified citizenship, nationality, or satisfactory immigration status' who would lose their state-funded coverage. The legislation would also cut federal spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare by $1.1 trillion, with more than $1 trillion coming from Medicaid. The CBO's analysis confirms that despite President Trump's repeated pledges he was only cutting waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, the legislation would enact an unprecedented reduction in the program currently used by more than 70 million low-income Americans. The bill would achieve its savings in various ways, but the bulk of the cuts come from a strict national work requirement and new restrictions on state-levied taxes on health providers. Under the bill, for the first time in the history of the Medicaid program, beneficiaries would need to prove they are working or in school at least 80 hours a month to keep their health insurance. The Senate version extends the requirement to low-income parents of children older than 14, in addition to childless adults without disabilities. The work requirements are projected to save about $325 billion over a decade. The provider taxes were the second-largest Medicaid cut in the House bill, after the work requirements. The cuts are even larger under the Senate design. Those changes would reduce spending by nearly $191 billion over a decade, according to the CBO estimate. The provider tax provisions have been among the most controversial in the Senate. States impose taxes on providers to boost their federal Medicaid contributions, which they then redirect to hospitals in the form of higher reimbursements. Limiting provider taxes is a long-held conservative goal, as they argue states are gaming the current system and driving up federal Medicaid spending. But senators representing states with poor, rural populations have objected to the scale of the cuts, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). The House bill would freeze the tax rate for most states, but the Senate version would require many states to lower their existing rates. As an incentive for senators uncomfortable with the provider tax cuts, the bill includes a $25 billion fund to aid rural hospitals. But that amount wasn't enough to sway Tillis, who voted with Democrats against a procedural motion late Saturday night. Hawley voted for the motion and said he would support the bill despite his misgivings over the Medicaid cuts. Additional details of the bill are in flux as negotiations between Republicans continue and the Senate parliamentarian reviews key pieces of the bill to determine if they follow the legislative rules. Lawmakers are facing down a White House-pushed July 4th deadline to pass the bill in the Senate, and then again in the House, and put it on President Trump's desk.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oppenheimer Reaffirms DexCom Buy Rating Amid HHS Wearables Push
DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM) ranks among the best fundamental stocks to buy according to hedge funds. Oppenheimer reaffirmed its $95 price target and Outperform rating for DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM) on June 24 in response to remarks made by Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. regarding a significant wearables campaign. At a June 24 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Secretary Kennedy declared that HHS would soon begin 'one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history' to promote wearables among Americans, emphasizing the advantages of glucose monitors. The possibility of a major government marketing campaign is encouraging for companies that provide continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), as noted by Oppenheimer, who also observed that the Secretary's remarks may indicate interest in future coverage of over-the-counter CGMs. Oppenheimer also noted recent advancements in CGM coverage for non-insulin Type 2 diabetes, pointing to a DexCom-led randomized controlled trial that is expected to wrap up in late 2025 or early 2026 for Medicare patients with non-insulin Type 2 diabetes. DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM) is a medical device company that manufactures continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems to allow real-time health management control. While we acknowledge the potential of DXCM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Read More: and Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Politico
16 hours ago
- Politico
Senate rulekeeper deals blows to revised ‘Big, beautiful bill'
The Senate's rewritten domestic policy bill faces new hurdles after the parliamentarian advised senators Sunday that several provisions violate the chamber's strict rules for budget reconciliation bills. The rulings, released in a memo from Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee, come as Senate Republicans are still trying to ensure they have the votes for final passage of their signature legislation. Two provisions added to the bill just days ago — and tailored specifically to boost Medicaid payments to Alaska and Hawaii — have been ruled to violate the Senate's Byrd rule. That limits what can pass through the reconciliation process with a simple majority. GOP leaders had hoped the Medicaid provisions focused on non-contiguous states, along with other Alaska-friendly changes, would be enough to win the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). She had voiced concerns over deep cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Murkowski voted to move forward with the bill Saturday night after making committee chairs and leadership sweat. Elsewhere, Senate Republicans attempted to expand a Medicare drug-price negotiation exemption for 'orphan' drugs to include medicines that treat multiple rare diseases. But the parliamentarian ruled it is not in compliance with rules and could threaten the ability to pass the megabill with a simple majority. The orphan drug provision was in the House-passed bill, but was not included in the first Senate Finance Committee's proposal earlier this month. The parliamentarian also ruled against provisions that sought to block implementation of two Biden-era regulations that seek to make it easier for older adults and individuals with disabilities to enroll in Medicaid and maintain coverage. Also flagged by the parliamentarian was a provision that would prohibit implementation of a Biden Administration rule on nursing facility staffing, which was estimated to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $23 billion over 10 years. 'We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules,' Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in a statement. The latest rulings also delivered some good news for Senate Republicans: A handful of provisions they tweaked to try to get them in compliance with the rules were green lit. The Senate Republican proposal to delay planned cuts to provider taxes that fund state obligations to Medicaid survived the so-called 'Byrd bath' and will not be subject to a supermajority vote. The changes would still incrementally lower the allowable provider tax in Medicaid expansion states from 6 percent down to 3.5 percent. But the drawdown would begin in 2028, one year later than planned. A proposal to bar Medicare coverage for non-citizen immigrants was also deemed to be within the rules. It would remove the ability of refugees, asylum seekers, and people with temporary protected status from being able to enroll in Medicare. Similarly, provisions specifying that non-citizens cannot qualify for tax credits and cost-sharing reductions to purchase health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces were also ruled to be compliant with the rules. Still under review by the parliamentarian is a provision that would bar Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid funds. David Lim contributed to this report.
