Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District discussed a new draft budget March 17 which proposed an increase of 2.7%, down from 5.6% in the first draft.

Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Keith Laser said the latest draft appears lower due to an increased use of the CSD’s undesignated fund balance and from eliminating $20,000 in musical instrument repair and acquisition. Said Laser, “As a directive, we took some of the monies that we had in the budget and moved it to the ESSER funds (Elementary and Secondary School Relief). So, we've pretty much expired all the ESSER money we have …”

AOS 98 accountant firm Barry Talbot Royer's Marc Roy said he recommends the committee increase its use of undesignated funds as the CSD is set to coast into the end of the year about $200,000 under budget. “If everything is going to go on pace for the rest of the year as it has been … we're going to be at maybe $9.9 million in expenditures as opposed to $10.1 million and add that to the fact we're going to have $10.3 million in revenues, I'm thinking we're going to add to the fund balance as opposed to having a deficit.”

Roy said the CSD has consistently been over-budgeting since at least 2017: $9.7 million in 2017; $9.8 million in 2018; $9.9 million in 2019; $10 million in 2020; and $10.4 million last year. “Unless you have five or 10 special education students all of a sudden converge on the CSD, I can't imagine you're going to go from $10 million in FY20 to what I'm estimating to be $10.1 million in FY21 and all of a sudden in FY22 would be $10.8 million. It just does not seem reasonable to me.”

Roy recommended the committee increase the $450,000 accounted for in the second draft budget by $50,000 which further lowers the increase from 2.7% to the 2.1%. He suggested putting it into a special education reserve or an unanticipated reserve fund.

The committee asked for the cut in music program funds due to interest in using donations through Boothbay Region Education Foundation. Boothbay Region Elementary School Principal Shawna Kurr said music teacher Jeffrey Waldrop drafted a five-year plan which will cost about $168,000 overall. Laser said since the last workshop, he received a letter from community members expressing interest in funding the music program and he has submitted a list of all the repairs and equipment outlined in Waldrop’s plan.

Committee member Bruce MacDonald said while the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor typically helps area youth get instruments on a case by case basis, it would be interested in helping with instruments as part of a larger fundraising effort. However, MacDonald joined members Ruth Macy and Abby Jones in a call to keep the $20,000 in the budget because if it is a need and if there are no pledged funds in hand, the CSD should be accounting for it at least for the next few weeks before the committee makes a final vote to pass the budget to voters. Said Jones, “I've heard from a number of parents who feel that it would make a difference whether their child would actually get involved in music and choose to play an instrument or not.”