ROCKPORT — The Five Town Consolidated School District has outlined its proposed $13.3 million school budget for the 2020-2021 academic year.  The CSD oversees Camden Hills Regional High School, on Route 90 in Rockport, and educates 9-12 grade students in Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport.

As such, the district is slated to hold its virtual public hearing on the proposed budget Thursday, July 2, at 7 p.m. ahead of the July 14 elections. 

The hearing will be streamed on YouTube and held via Zoom. 

Questions can be emailed ahead of time to maria.libby@fivetowns.net or asked via the Zoom chat. 

Five Town CSD serves Camden Hills Regional High School and the towns of Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport. 

The district will put forth to voters five questions and 16 articles related to the proposed budget. 

Question One: School Budget 

Shall Five Town Community School District appropriate the sum of $13,302,646 and raise the sum of $10,627,173.00 for the 2020-2021 school budget?

The Five Town Community School District school budget submitted in this Question 1 totals $13,302,646.00.

It includes locally raised funds in the amount of $10,627,173, to be assessed in shares to member municipalities in accordance with the District’s cost sharing formula and state law.

The locally raised amount exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services funding model by $2,971,708.00.

The school board recommends a YES vote. 

Article 12: The School Board recommends that the District appropriate the amounts set forth below for the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act and raise and assess the amounts set forth below as each municipality’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688.

Total Appropriated, by municipality
Appleton: $873,179.97
Camden: $2,788,183.49
Hope: $1,089,762.85
Lincolnville: $1,245,565.55
Rockport: $2,563,896.10

Total Raised, and district assessments, by municipality
Appleton: $318,980
Camden: $2,611,316
Hope: $501,989
Lincolnville: $1,044,084
Rockport: $2,382,267

Article 13: School Construction Debt Service

The School Board recommends that the District raise and appropriate $754,223.00 for the annual payments on debt service previously approved by the District voters for non-state-funded school construction projects or non-state-funded portions of school construction projects in addition to the funds appropriated as the local share of the District’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12.

Article 14: Food Services

The School Board recommends that the District raise and appropriate $42,605.00 to transfer to the school nutrition program.

Article 15: Additional Local

The School Board recommends that the District raise and appropriate $2,971,708.00 in additional local funds, which exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model by $2,971,708.00 as required to fund the budget recommended by the School Board.

The School Board gives the following reasons for exceeding the State’s Essential Programs and Services funding model by $2,971,708:

The District requires additional local funds to be raised to cover those program costs not included or only partially included under the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act. Those budget items not fully funded by the State that require local funding represent a broad array of existing programs including drama, athletics, instrumental and vocal music, art, photography, and Advanced Placement courses. In addition, supplemental local funding is needed for community use of the facilities occurring outside of the regular school day. 

Article 16: Total School Budget Summary

To see what sum the District will authorize the School Board to expend for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021 from the District’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, non-state-funded school construction projects, additional local funds for school purposes under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15690, unexpended balances, tuition receipts, state subsidy and other receipts for the support of schools.

School Board Recommends $13,302,646. 

Question Two: District Adult Education Program

Shall the District be authorized to appropriate $381,478.00 for adult education and raise $224,381.00 as the local share, with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and for the well-being of the adult education program?

The school board recommends a YES vote. 

Question Three: Capital Reserve Fund

Shall the School District Committee be authorized to transfer up to $75,000.00 from unexpected balances to the Capital Reserve Fund and to expend $350,000.00 from that reserve fund for the capital items set forth below and for other unexpected or emergency school facility capital needs?

Camden Hills Regional High School — lecture hall renovations — $250,000

The school board recommends a YES vote. 

Question Four: Region 8 Career and Technical Education Budget

Shall the regional career and technical operating budget as approved by the Region 8 Cooperative Board for the year beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 be approved in the amount of $5,644,046.00?

Local share from this school district is: $87,432.03

Local share from this school district for Region 8 debt service: $754,222.76

Question Five: Region 8 Adult Career and Technical Education Program

To see if the career and technical education region will appropriate $228,723.00 for Adult Education for the year beginning July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 and raise $86,750.00 as the local share with authorization to expand any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and for the well-being of the Adult Education Program.

Local share from this school district is: $31,150.19