The Community School District (CSD) Board of Trustees unanimously approved a more than $2 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year April 2.

The $2,124,701 facilities and maintenance budget is almost a 36% increase from the 2024 fiscal year. According to both the board and Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler, the loss of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds played a significant role in the increase. Trustee Troy Lewis requested a full breakdown of the impact of ESSER fund losses. It was not available immediately. 

Administrators said the funds, which helped with costs from supplies to custodial salaries during COVID, created an artificially low budget in recent years; now  the district is facing a steep jump reflecting both the unsupplemented cost of budget items and rapid inflation over recent years. The cost of school supplies, one of the most dramatic examples in the budget, has increased 127% from $ 22,000 to $50,000 in the high school.

Repair and maintenance remain some of the highest costs. The budget shows $230,940 in costs for the elementary school and $290,858 for the high school, a respective $131,535 (132%) and $199,878 (220%) increase from the 2024 fiscal year. The trustees discussed the immediate need for repairs, especially on both school roofs and parapets. Facilities Director Dave Benner said new roof leaks have been recently discovered at the high school and he is looking into warranty repairs, but a complete resealing may be necessary. “If the (April 24) referendum doesn't move forward, we need to start somewhere and I’m thinking the roof,” he said.  

Custodial salaries and benefits have increased around 30%, but the budget does not accurately reflect one job being reimbursed by the Edgecomb school district, according to Kahler. Maintenance and security staff salaries and benefits have increased up to 5%.

Heat is the only decrease on the budget. The elementary school’s heating cost, $105,000, is a $17,000 (14%) decrease from 2024. For the high school, heat will cost $81,305, a $2,800 (3%) decrease from 2024. However, trustees expressed concern about the elementary school’s heating system, which trustees said was recently replaced and now needs repairs. Lewis said the contract for the aging high school system is almost as much as the new elementary system and he would like to understand why. “It just doesn't make any sense,” he said.  

The budget also included $684,333 for debt service, a $279,333 (69%) increase from 2024. Kahler said the line items were placed in anticipation of voters passing the April 24 referendum to fund elementary-middle school renovations. 

In other business, Benner told the board he contacted Central Maine Power (CMP) to ask them to review an electrical transformer adjacent to the high school shop classroom, and CMP had no record of that transformer. He said he is also communicating with CMP about the school’s power supply to prevent brownouts.

In addition, Benner said he is communicating with E.M. Wood Construction to get a cost estimate for water, sewer and power systems installed for portable classrooms. Kahler said the units would be needed to accommodate school repairs if the referendum fails. While a formal estimate was not available, trustee Ronnie Campbell said he talked to Justin Wood from the company who said it was going to be expensive. “Personally, he couldn't see wasting that kind of money,” Campbell said.