“April 30, 2025

Citizens of Athens, Dexter, Exeter, Garland, Harmony, and Ripley:

School districts have been faced with many issues during the development of a 2025-2026 school budget including balancing the needs of the students and the impact this has on the local taxpayer. The communities of Dexter, Exeter, Garland, Harmony, and Ripley consolidated in 2009 creating Alternative Organizational Structure #94 or AOS #94. The community of Athens officially joined AOS #94 on July 1, 2015. The information included in this communication is a brief explanation of changes to the 2025-2026 AOS #94 District Budget.

The appointed AOS #94 School Board has approved a budget for fiscal year 2026 and will be moving forward with a public budget meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Ridge View Community School gym. The AOS #94 Budget for the 2025-2026 school year is $982,939.00 which results in an increase of $78,525.00 or 8.68% when compared to the 2024-2025 AOS #94 Budget.

This budget includes expenditures in three areas: System Administration, Special Education Administration, and Transportation Administration. The 2025-2026 budget assessments in the AOS #94 cost share agreement will result in an increase for all three school districts. Increases include: $50,386.17 for SAD #46, $6,332.37 for Harmony, and $10,583.45 for Athens when compared to the 2024-2025 budget.

The budget set at the AOS #94 Public Budget Meeting on May 21, 2025, will be the approved budget. To comply, AOS #94 will need to complete two phases to enact a new budget for 2025-2026. The process is as follows:

The AOS #94 Board of Directors approved a budget for 2025-2026 at their April 9, 2025, meeting. In this insert you will find budget details for the AOS #94 consolidated unit. This budget summary will also be available at your local town office as well as the AOS #94 Superintendent’s Office, the Harmony School and the Athens School.
AOS #94 will hold a Public Budget Meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in the Ridge View Community School gym at 6:00 p.m. At that time, residents from the six towns that make up AOS #94 (Athens, Dexter, Exeter, Garland, Harmony, and Ripley) will gather to act on several line items in the budget. A warrant will be posted in obvious locations in each town at least seven days prior to this meeting.

The AOS #94 proposed 2025-2026 school budget will be in a Cost Center format.

Sincerely,

Kevin T. Jordan, Superintendent

AOS #94

SAD #46

Athens School Department

Harmony School Department