East Millinocket Schools Look at Scenarios for Cutting Costs

EAST MILLINOCKET -- Looking at various scenarios for cutting the cost of education in East Millinocket, its school board learned Saturday that it could cost more to tuition its students to Millinocket than to keep its own Schenck High School open next year.

Members of the East Millinocket School board will vote on an option to enter into a high school tuition contract with Millinocket during a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the high school.

Whatever the option the board chooses, some staff positions will be cut.

Should the board choose to tuition high school students to Stearns next year, elementary schools students from kindergarten to grade 4 will move to the building that is now Schenck High School.

The school budget is estimated to be $3,491,687 next year, a decrease of $416,542 from last year’s budget. While the overall budget will drop, the amount to be raised through local taxes will increase by 6.81%, or $185,599.

The increase in local costs is attributed to a loss of tuition revenue from Medway at a time when the cost of secondary education is expected to rise by $218,681, the increase due to a one-time cost of laying off staff.

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If the board decides to keep Schenck as a high school next year, approximately 11.5 full-time positions will be cut, as well as several stipend positions.

Under that option, the estimated budget is $3,568,931, a decrease of $349,298 compared with last year. The amount to be raised from local taxes would drop by 12.3%, or $335,519, the larger difference coming primarily from tuition revenues from Medway.

The budget includes $334,000 for unemployment costs, and assumes that furloughed staff members will be able to find work elsewhere.

There was some discussion of deeper budget cuts, supported by board members Dave Rush and Kim Sewell.

East Millinocket Selectman Dave Nicholson told board members that the town was getting a better picture of what its tax revenues may be. He said that the $750,000 budget cut was a target for school officials, and that, if costs couldn’t be cut further without severe damage to educational programs, the town would endeavor to help, as its own financial situation was beginning to look better.

-- Ken Anderson 03/31/03