The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District school committee held its first budget meeting of the season Feb. 24. Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Keith Laser explained draft budget, which has been in the works over the past few months, is about a 5.6% increase over last year.

Said Laser, “We looked at what's happening in the local area as far as taxes ... RSU 12 up 11% in their first draft of this thing, Yarmouth Schools are up 7.8%, Brunswick is up 2.04%, AOS 93 is up 6.92%, Cape Elizabeth is up 4.36%. So that gives you a sense no one's really down any and what we're going to struggle with is what is the comfort level, what is it we can really do?”

With the Facilities, Maintenance and Transportation services resting at a nearly flat budget, committee members were presented with various increases particularly in the Boothbay Region Elementary School and special education portions of the budget. BRES Principal Shawna Kurr said standout items include smaller increases like the addition of funds for tutoring, final installation of new fireproof cabinets for records and technology equipment, and larger increases like $21,000 for staff tuition reimbursement and $33,000 for elementary instruction supplies.

“There's $20,000 in that for a five year plan for replacement of band instruments. Jeff Waldrop was asked to put together a plan that would include looking at replacement and repairing the instruments he currently has in the program ... In the four next concurrent years, there's different amounts in there to get the program up to standard.”

Committee members said they were not aware students were being provided instruments and assumed parents were, as is typical in most other school music programs. When Kurr started at BRES, she said she was also surprised to learn students borrowed instruments through the school's program.

Kurr said the program is leveling the playing field for 20 or more fourth graders, 30 or more fifth and sixth graders, and 20 or more seventh and eighth graders in need of instruments for the music program.

Said school committee Vice Chair Peggy Splaine, “That sounds like a great thing for our BREF fund, to raise money for or raise donations for, instead of coming out of our education budget. Just a thought. It's a great thing for the community.”

Kurr announced part of the increase in tuition reimbursement is due to her acceptance into University of New England’s doctoral program for leadership.

Directer of Special Services Chris Baribeau said this year’s budget has many big swings due to items not captured in the last budget cycle. He said there are four major things that need to be planned for including services for an incoming kindergarten student in need of a one-on-one nurse which will cost about $52,000; academic examiners, $64,000; and continued services through summer vacation, $30,000.

“You have approximately 30 students at the elementary school who have extended school year in their IEP (individualized educational plan). It's not likely that all 30 will opt in for the full amount of services, but I think in February we have to budget for what we know.”

School committee chair Stephanie Hawke said she could not support the budget as presented. “I realize you wouldn't put this stuff down if you really didn't need it, but this is way over what we can afford. It's way over. Our town's in a crisis. We have to cut these lines down … Every department tonight is going to have to put their thinking caps on because we can't go in that high to the taxpayers. We just can't. I won't vote for it.”

Laser said as much as the boards may want to see the budget come down, there is only so much the administration staff can find to cut. “I didn't hear a whole bunch of ideas on 'we need to cut here, we need to cut here, we need to cut here.' If you're just going to be concerned about this (number), I'm going to come back and tell you all I can do is cut people. There's not a lot of places in here that you saw, that I saw and the principals have done a superb job, Dave Benner, everybody. You know, 80% of this budget is salaries and benefits. We start talking about we want to reduce this thing, there's going to be a ripple effect and you all know what that is. When you start talking to folks about potentially losing their jobs at the next round of budgeting hearings, that has a huge ripple effect.”