BELFAST — Voters within Regional School Unit 71 are being asked to vote June 8 on the proposed $28.7 million school budget for the 2021-2022 school year. 

The communities of Belfast, Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Swanville comprise RSU 71. 

Click here for a four-year budget comparison. 

Click here for the food service budget information. 

State Subsidy and Local Tax Revenues 

ARTICLE 12: The School Board recommends the RSU 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 20A, section 15688.

Recommended amounts set forth below:

Total Appropriated and Total Raised by municipality:
City of Belfast: $11,068,480.76 and $6,429,020.00
Town of Belmont: $1,951,396.74 and $566,166.67
Town of Morrill: $1,858,284.40 and $546,548.33
Town of Searsmont: $2,434,788.41 and $1,332,993.33
Town of Swanville: $2,498,184.03 and $963,668.33
Total Appropriated: $19,811,134.34
Total Raised: $9,838,396.66

Other Local Tax Revenues

Article 13: The School Board recommends the RSU raise and appropriate $156,396.91 for the annual payments on debt service previously approved by the RSU 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 RSU’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12.

Article 14: The School Board recommends the RSU raise and appropriate $4,809,187.86 in additional local funds, which exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model by $4,809,187.86 as required to fund the budget recommended by the School Board.

Summary

Article 15: The School Board recommends the RSU authorize the School Board to expend $28,684,417.69 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2022 from the RSU’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.

Referendum Articles

Article 1, Budget: The Regional School Unit No. 71 school budget submitted in this Article 1 totals $28,684,417.69. It includes locally raised funds in the amount of $15,956,277.72, to be assessed in shares to member municipalities in accordance with the RSU’s cost sharing formula and state law. The locally raised amount exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services funding model by $4,809,187.86.

This budget includes these cost centers and amounts:

Regular Instruction — $9,381,054.00
Special Education — $6,187,824.78
Career and Technical Education — $0
Other Instruction — $697,097.02
Student and Staff Support — $2,822,224.20
System Administration — $726,050.00
School Administration — $1,733,410.00
Transportation and Buses — $1,882,107.00
Facilities Maintenance — $3,504,983.00
Debt Service and Other Commitments — $1,749,667.69
All Other Expenditures — $0

Summary of Total Authorized School Budget Expenditures: $28,684,417.69

Article 2, RSU Nutrition Program: Shall the RSU be authorized to raise and appropriate $233,755.11 for the school nutrition program with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and for the wellbeing of the school nutrition program? School Board Recommends a “Yes” vote.

Article 3, RSU Adult Ed Program: Shall the RSU be authorized to appropriate $378,012.00 for adult education and raise $275,371.00 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? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.

Article 4, CTE Region Budget: Shall the Region 7 Waldo County Technical Center operating budget as approved by the cooperative board for the year beginning July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 be approved in the amount of $1,991,461.49?
School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote. CTE Cooperative Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote. Approval by the voters of Article 4 will not increase local assessments. 

Article 5, CTE Region Adult Education Budget: Shall the Region 7 Waldo County Technical Center approve a budget for adult education in the amount of $51,525.00 for the year beginning July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and well-being of its adult education program? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote. CTE Cooperative Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote. Approval by the voters of Article 5 will not increase local assessments.

Article 6, Cost Center Transfers: Shall the School Board be authorized to transfer amounts exceeding 5% of the total appropriation for any cost center to another cost center or among other cost centers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, provided that transfers shall not be permitted to increase the authorized total school budget? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.