Scarborough Town Hall Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard
SCARBOROUGH — School Superintendent Geoff Bruno and Town Manager Thomas Hall met with the Scarborough Town Council last week for their first reading and to schedule a public hearing on the proposed FY2023 School Budget.
During the April 6 Town Council meeting, council members voted on the first reading of the budget. The order to be voted on included an initial tax request. This is only the starting point. The council’s goal it to have no more than a 3 percent increase to the current mil rate when the final budget is approved.
In a statement made by the Town Council members, the schools have been in recovery mode for the past two years following the start of the pandemic. They have been experiencing staffing shortages, hiring challenges, uncertainty around enrollment and community demographics, supply chain disruptions, shortages and cost increases, and this year, a loss of federal grant support. These issues were the cause of the budget rise and influenced the need for increased personnel costs and a thoughtful budget.
The proposed $52.4 million school budget includes allocations of funds that were previously provided through federal grants during the pandemic and funding for four new teaching positions. Other costs include $360,000 for an expected 6 percent health insurance increase, a $300,000 increase in energy and fuel costs, and $250,000 to add two social workers and two Ed Tech positions.
“This year’s proposal was presented by Superintendent Geoff Bruno and reflects current concerns around the well being of students, staff, and the community. Learning recovery, social and emotional needs, and ongoing pandemic management protocols are considered critical factors in all decision making,” said the Scarborough Town Council. “Scarborough Schools strive for a continued impact on the development of K-12 learners. Their goals and initiatives include professional development efforts, curriculum alignment, innovative learning experiences, and community connections to strengthen learning in all schools and classrooms. They continue to make progress on goals around Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and curriculum. Instructional Technology is one area of growth being invested in as part of this proposed budget.”
New positions for the schools would include student support, social workers, Academic Ed Tech positions, Special services Ed Techs, guidance counselors, new teaching positions to maintain smaller class sizes, specialized reading instruction for special services, and summer academies in July and August 2022.
On March 31, the town unveiled the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget. As proposed, it would raise property taxes by about 4.9 percent, however Hall plans to reduce that increase to less than 3 percent.
According to Bruno at the Town Council meeting on March 31, the $52.4 million school budget includes allocations of funds previously provided through federal grants during the pandemic and funding for four new teaching positions.
“(This is) to continue to maintain small class sizes as part of our recovery and getting back to more normalized operations as a school department,” Bruno told the Town Council.
The Budget Roundtable is returning after two years of being on pause due to the pandemic. The council has proposed that residents participate in shaping the town budget by attending these meetings. Town Councilors and School Board members will be attending these meetings to answer any questions residents might have. There are four dates when residents can attend the discussion. The first meeting will be held on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. To find the rest of the meeting dates check out the Scarborough town website at https://www.scarboroughmaine.org/
There will be a joint Town Council and School Board presentation/budget workshop and public hearing on May 4. The Town Council is responsible for making the final approval of the municipal budget at the second reading on May 18, they will also set the school budget tax request, which will go to the voters at the June 14 town election.
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