CAPE ELIZABETH — The School Board is expected to adopt a school budget Tuesday.
During its budget workshops, much of the board’s attention has been focused on a “midpoint” budget scenario. Superintendent Alan Hawkins had submitted three budget scenarios: a $20.2 million budget that would keep the school portion of the tax rate at $12.54 per $1,000 of assessed valuation; a $21 million budget that would maintain current staffing and services while increasing the tax rate 5 percent and a proposal that represented the midpoint of those two.
After the last budget workshop, the midpoint budget stood at $20.67 million, which represents a 3 percent spending increase over the current budget. It would lead to a tax rate increase of 2.75 percent, or 30 cents.
School Board Chairwoman Rebecca Millett said in a statement that board members have not individually stated which budget or which budget elements they would support.
The current midpoint budget would result in a net staff decrease of 2.65 full-time positions.
The cuts include a middle school teacher, a Pond Cover education technician and part-time middle school positions including librarian, educational technician, administrative support and computer lab educational technician. Also out of the budget are part-time Mandarin and executive skills teachers at the high school and a full-time media center education technician at Pond Cove.
Staff additions include full-time occupational therapy assistant and high school education technician and part-time middle school executive functioning teacher, nurse and psychological services position.
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