By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

Voters at the RSU 23 Regional Budget meeting have approved a $41.4 million budget recommended by the board of directors. 

The budget now must be approved in a budget validation referendum scheduled for Aug. 4 in Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Dayton. The July 23 meeting was the second held in the new budget approval process mandated by the state. Voters rejected the school unit’s first budget in June, forcing school officials to start the process again.

The meeting at Saco Middle School was attended by 25 Dayton residents, 52 Saco residents and 24 Old Orchard Beach residents. 

The budget is more than $1 million less than the first budget proposed by the board of directors and increases spending less than 2 percent over last year’s combined school budgets. 

 Superintendent Michael Lafortune opened the meeting with a budget overview that highlighted differences from the first budget and photos of students working in classrooms. 

 “I think that’s a good way to start our meeting because we’re all here for the students,” he said. The United States economy will not prosper without “strong investments in education,” he added. 

Lafortune said the district’s goal throughout the budget process was to sustain current programming, and schools were asked to give the board flat-funded budgets. The budget did not include requested laptops for high schools, a Saco Middle School guidance counselor, an elementary physical education teacher and a social worker. 

The new budget does provide “greater technical opportunities” with the purchase of used laptops, the addition of all-day kindergarten and gifted and talented programs, a pilot special education program at Burns School in Saco, three new buses and security cameras on buses, Lafortune said. Roof and air quality repairs at Dayton Consolidated School are a “major accomplishment,” he said. 

Several proposed amendments to the budget failed after brief discussions between voters and school administrators. Ron Morton of Saco, a former school board member who served on a school unit organization committee, proposed an amendment to reduce the $22 million regular instruction budget by 2 percent. 

    John Nye, a teacher from Old Orchard Beach, urged meeting attendees to vote against the amendment because “any reduction would have a direct impact on students and teachers.” 

He also disputed Morton’s claim that the school district pays 100 percent of health care benefits for teachers. Saco teacher Bonnie Hadiaris said she also pays a share of her health insurance. 

 Saco Mayor Ron Michaud also asked voters to reject the amendment and “stand up for the kids.” He said other area school districts spend up to 40 percent more on education and a reduction would “gut” the budget. The amendment failed and voters passed the article as written.

Voters passed articles allocating funds for special education, career and technical education, other instruction, school administration, debt service and other expenditures with little or no discussion. 

  Voters rejected a motion by Morton to reduce the student and staff support article by $49,000. Several voters asked Lafortune to clarify the proposed $1.6 million transportation and bus article. Lafortune said the number included a $50,000 contingency, part of the $200,000 contingency included to cover unexpected costs. 

Lafortune said new digital cameras are needed on buses to help “tremendously” with safety issues. He said the budget also includes the acquisition of two new buses for Saco and one new bus for Old Orchard Beach. The state will reimburse the district the cost of the buses next year. 

 Morton again made a motion, this time asking voters to slash $65,000, the amount of one bus. Nye asked voters to consider why the district wants to buy the buses. He said buses in Old Orchard Beach are “not in very good shape” and present safety issues for students. 

 Mike Garrity of Saco, the district’s maintenance director, said he recommended replacing the buses because older vehicles require lots of major work. 

 “We’re replacing them because in the long run we’re saving money on maintenance,” he said. 

Morton’s amendment failed and the original motion was passed as written. In the end, voters made no changes to the budget recommended by the board of directors.

 Absentee ballots for the Aug. 4 validation referendum are available from town and city clerks’ offices.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.