06/11/08

Officials map next steps in approving a school budget

In the wake of a "no" vote to a $19.7 million Cape Elizabeth school budget for 2008-09, school officials are mapping the next steps to getting a working budget.

Voters on June 10 rejected the budget, adopted by the Town Council on May 27, by a vote of 1,891 to 1,250. The budget represented a 4.6 percent increase in spending over this year's.

In an advisory vote, 1,638 voters indicated they believed the proposed budget was too low, and 1,110 said they believed it was too high.

Before the School Board goes back to the budget drawing board, school officials are considering inspecting the ballots to correlate the Yes/No votes with the advisory Too High/Too Low question.

The ballots are sealed for seven days after the election. They may be opened for inspection after 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 17.

Kathy Ray, chairman of the School Board, said in a telephone interview that inspecting the ballots is one of the options the board is considering. "Everything is right in the formulation stage," she said.

Officials hope to gain a clearer picture of what the advisory question means. A high correlation between the "no" and "too low" votes on the same ballots will likely lead the board to resubmit its $19.9 million, 6-percent increase budget to the Town Council for reconsideration. The council may adopt that amount for a second validation vote, or it may adopt some other amount.

Superintendent Alan Hawkins outlined his plan for ballot inspection at the June 10 meeting of the School Board, before the results of the election were known. However, with 60 percent voting against the budget, and 60 percent marking "too low", the School Board may decide to move ahead with its 6-percent increase proposal without an inspection, Ray said.

A total 3,141 voted on the validation question, and 2,748 filled out the advisory question.

In March, the School Board approved a $19.9 million spending proposal for 2008-09 and submitted it to the Town Council. In May, Town councilors adopted a school spending package of $19.7 million, up 4.6 percent over this years, but $263,000 less than the plan submitted by the School Board. This year, the council's adopted school budget is subject to a townwide validation vote, part of the state's new school consolidation law.

Ray said she did not think the board is not technically required to meet again to reapprove its first budget, but the board may meet again to verify its spending proposal. "It's too early to know," she said, adding no meeting has been scheduled.

While officials are unclear as to exactly how things will proceed, most agree they would like to move forward quickly to adopt a workable budget. The business of running the schools goes on, Ray said. "We need a budget to do it," she said.