ROCKLAND — Voters in the Regional School Unit 13 school district are being asked to consider approving a $33 million budget for the upcoming school year. 

Residents in the communities of Cushing, Rockland, Thomaston, South Thomaston and Owls Head will be voting June 8 on the proposed budget. 

To view all related documents to the proposed school budget, click here. 

Budget Expenditures 

ARTICLE 1: Regular Instruction $11,797,600.00
ARTICLE 2: Special Education $7,809,600.00
ARTICLE 3: Career and Technical Education $39,300.00
ARTICLE 4: Other Instruction $632,850.00
ARTICLE 5: Student and Staff Support $2,833,300.00
ARTICLE 6: System Administration $828,500.00
ARTICLE 7: School Administration $1,636,200.00
ARTICLE 8: Transportation and Buses $1,593,600.00
ARTICLE 9: Facilities Maintenance $3,311,350.00
ARTICLE 10: Debt Service and Other Commitments $2,465,600.00
ARTICLE 11: All Other Expenditures $100,000.00

ARTICLE 12, State Subsidy and Local Tax Revenues: The School Board recommends that 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 20-A, section 15688.

Total appropriated and raised by municipality: 
Cushing: $2,471,458.85 and $2,417,926.67
Owls Head: $2,071,504.21 and $2,071,504.21
Rockland: $9,722,810.41 and $6,306,438.33
South Thomaston: $2,499,716.51 and $2,100,741.67
Thomaston: $4,971,175.36 and $2,854,138.33
Totals: $21,736,665.34 and $15,750,749.21

ARTICLE 13: The School Board recommends that the RSU raise and appropriate $2,465,565 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 that the RSU raise and appropriate $8,551,807.55 in additional local funds, which exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model by $8,551,807.55 as required to fund the budget recommended by the School Board.

ARTICLE 15, Budget Summary: The School Board recommends that the RSU authorize the School Board to expend $33,047,900.00 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 2, RSU Nutrition Program: Shall the RSU be authorized to raise and appropriate $300,000 for the school nutrition program with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and for the well-being of the school nutrition program? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.

Article 3, RSU Adult Ed Program: Shall the RSU be authorized to appropriate $295,500 for adult education and raise $210,000 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, 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.

Article 5, Capital Reserve Fund: Shall the School Board be authorized to transfer up to $100,000 from available fund balances to the Capital Reserve Fund and to expend $50,000 from said reserve fund for unanticipated minor capital projects? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.

Article 6, New Special Education Reserve Fund: Shall the School Board be authorized to establish a Special Education Reserve Fund to pay unexpected 1-time special education costs, and to transfer up to $100,000 from available fund balances to said reserve fund? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.

Article 7, Fuel Cost Stabilization Fund: Shall the School Board be authorized to transfer up to $50,000 to the fuel cost stabilization fund from year end available fund balances? School Board Recommends a “Yes” Vote.

Statutory Disclosure Statement relating to Fuel Cost Stabilization Fund: The fuel cost stabilization fund balance is currently $0. If this article is approved as written, the fuel cost stabilization fund balance will be $50,000. The amount used from the fuel cost stabilization fund in the last three years through the date this article was prepared is as follows:

Fiscal year 2020-2021: Zero (no fund available)
Fiscal year 2019-2020: Zero (no fund available)
Fiscal year 2018-2019: $40,587.07

Article 8, CTE Region Budget: Shall the Region 8 career and technical education operating budget as approved by the Region 8 Cooperative Board for the year beginning July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 be approved in the amount of $5,446,304? The RSU’s share of the Region 8 budget, including debt service, is $554,740.06.

Article 9, CTE Region Adult Ed Budget: To see if Region 8 will appropriate $236,200.00 for Adult Education for the year beginning July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 and raise $89,000.00 with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest and well-being of its adult education program. The RSU’s share of Region 8’s adult education budget is $22,491.03.