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04/07/09
School Board affirms $20 million budget proposal for 2009-10
At a special meeting April 6, 2009, the School Board affirmed the $20 million school budget proposal for fiscal 2009-10 that will go to public hearing before the Town Council April 13.
The proposed budget is up 1.1 percent over this year's, but $163,500 less than the 2009-10 budget adopted by the board in March.
The reduction is the result of news that the state's general purpose aid to education allocation for Cape Elizabeth is projected to fall more than half a million dollars below expectations.
The state's Department of Education preliminary funding spreadsheet, published at the end of March, showed Cape Elizabeth would be receiving $504,339 less in state aid for 2009-10 than this year.
Members of the Town Council, meeting as the Finance Committee on March 30, said they would support moving $200,000 from town undesignated funds to the school budget. The $163,500 net school budget reduction will come from school contingency, leaving the rest of the shortfall to be raised through property taxes.
The budget proposal would add 20 cents to the tax rate for school services, up 2.5 percent over this year's. The overall tax rate, for school, municipal, county and Community Services, would increase 11 cents, or .6 percent, under the combined budget proposals up for public hearing April 13.
The School Board voted 4-2 to adopt the revised budget in a special morning meeting April 6, said Superintendent Alan Hawkins. Board member Linda Winker, and board Finance Committee chairman Kathy Ray, voted against the proposal because they oppose any tax increase, Hawkins said. The school budget adopted March 10, along with the other town budgets, would not have raised taxes.
The Town Council is expected to take a final vote on combined budgets April 30, 2009. A school-budget validation election is scheduled for May 12.
More information, including copies of previously submitted school budgets, is available on this Web site.
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