PORTLAND — The Board of Public Education approved a $91.6 million budget Tuesday evening that would eliminate about 50 positions in the city’s schools but avoid major cuts to adult education.
The board acted unanimously despite last-minute adjustments in anticipated revenue and expense accounts that complicated its decisions and increased the amount of money that the board will seek from the City Council and, ultimately, from taxpayers.
“Our true test is managing within unprecedented parameters,” said Kate Snyder, board chairwoman. “I think there is a sensitivity (on the City Council) to the revenue challenges we face.”
The board plans to present its proposal for the budget year starting July 1 to the council on Monday. A citywide vote on the school budget is scheduled for May 10.
The proposed budget is $1.7 million — 1.9 percent — more than the current $89.9 million budget. It reflects a $6 million reduction in state and federal funding and calls for spending $2 million remaining from last year’s federal jobs bill allocation.
The budget would increase the amount to be raised from property taxes by $1.8 million — about 2.7 percent — from $67.4 million for this year to $69.2 million for 2011-12.
That would add about 25 cents to the city’s property tax rate of $17.92 per $1,000 assessed property value, and increase the annual tax bill on a $200,000 home by about $50.
The budget also reflects $1.2 million in savings from 43 pending retirements.
The budget initially called for spending a $1.2 million surplus from the 2009-10 school budget, which city administrators have recommended against.
The board reduced the spending from surplus to $480,000 by using $720,000 of $910,000 that will be saved through salary concessions in the first year of a new three-year teachers’ contract that the board approved Tuesday.
In the end, the board restored all but 1.5 of the 9.5 adult education teaching and administrative positions that Superintendent Jim Morse initially targeted for elimination.
During the meeting, school staff members urged the board to restore various positions that were targeted for elimination, including a guidance counselor at Portland High School, a science teacher at Deering High, three music teaching positions and 30 education technician positions across the district.
“I would wait until you have more reliable data in front of you before you ratify this budget,” said Deering High Principal Ira Waltz.
In the teachers’ contract, 92 percent of union members voted to go without cost-of-living or step salary increases in 2011-12, saving the district about $800,000 in the year that starts July 1.
They also agreed to increase the minimum time between salary increases for professional development from three years to four years, which will save $110,000 in the coming year. The district has about 640 full-time teaching positions, about 85 percent of which are held by union members.
Under the new contract, step increases, given for longevity, would resume in 2012-13 at a cost of about $800,000 to the district. The teachers would get a 3 percent increase in salary base in 2013-14, which would be the first such increase in four years.
Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.com
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