The Community School District school board on March 26 held this year’s third workshop to discuss the draft 2025 fiscal year budget. The board focused on Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) and adult education. Budgets increased overall, and several were tied to the loss of COVID-related Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, administrators said.

As it was a workshop, no decisions were made. As with previous workshops, the board did not focus on salaries and benefits because they are contractual, according to the superintendent. The board discussed holding its budget meeting mid-April.

Instructional contracted services made up the largest increase in the proposed BRES budget. The $56,000 line item increased $50,000 from the 2024 fiscal year. According to Principal Shawna Kerr, the rise is due to the loss of ESSER funds that paid for most of the services for the past two years. The services from Logos Literacy Consulting provide weekly consulting and professional development days that support staff and students' educational goals around reading, she said.

Kerr also proposed an almost $20,000 increase for math and reading software subscriptions, including digital curriculum. She said ESSER funds have also been used to cover the programs. The software provides student-tailored interactive learning, and Kerr said such software has replaced textbooks across the field of education. She said teachers and their tools have to be more engaging and animated than ever, because they are up against video games and other entertainment that “sucks them in.” She said the educational software, if used in moderation, works well alongside teachers.

"You go into a classroom where a teacher is doing a small group lesson, and you have kids that are plugged in for 20 minutes learning on a research-based program,” she said. “Twenty minutes a day is effective, and they are totally in it ... it's pretty magical to see how 20 kiddos can all live in a room and get targeted instruction at the same time.”

Special Services Director Chris Baribeau presented a draft budget of $1,379,123 for the elementary school. This is a $244,133 increase (21.5%) over the FY24 budget. He said the largest increases are from adding a staff position previously removed, contracted services and transportation. He said part of the increases were also for consulting fees previously funded by ESSER. According to board chair Peggy Splaine, the proposed budget did not include reimbursements from the state.

Adult Education Director Raye Leonard presented an almost $90,000 program budget proposal. The draft listed around a $6,000 (9%) decrease to taxpayer assessment, $62,000 for 2025; The program’s revenue is also supported through tuition and state subsidies. In addition, Leonard said Wiscasset adult education will be joining the program next year. She said Wiscasset’s program is currently with Merrymeeting Adult Education in Topsham but wants to return to the Boothbay region. She said they will be contributing $13,000 to the CSD program. She added, the adult education program plans to work with Wiscasset School Department to begin a bus driver training program for the summer to fill what administrators have said is a critical need in the region.