5/8/2025
SAD #46 Citizens:
The SAD #46 2025-2026 budget process was challenging as the Board of Directors
continues to make decisions based on the best interests of our staff and students while
also keeping the local tax payer in mind. Despite these challenges, I am confident that
through thoughtful deliberations, this proposed budget retains important educational
programming for the students while requesting an increase in the total local tax support
for education from the residents of SAD #46. Individual communities will see increases
in the local tax burden as state school funding impacts each community differently.
The School Board Budget Committee has finalized the budget and the SAD #46 Board
of Directors has approved the budget proposal for fiscal year 2025-2026. The SAD #46
budget proposal for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is $16,653,368 resulting in a increase of
$120,873 or 0.73% when compared to the 2024-2025 school district budget. In SAD
#46, state funding for schools has decreased by $204,391 while increased town
valuations have resulted in a local required funding increase of $54,217. These changes
along with the School Board approved draft budget for 2025-2026 have resulted in a
3.17% total increase to the local taxpayers of SAD #46.
The 2025-2026 SAD #46 budget includes the addition of one and one-half new
programs at Tri-County Technical Center including HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air
Conditioning) and Entrepreneurship and a mentoring position was also added at DRHS.
Reductions include a 3/4 English position and a Project Based Science position at Dexter
Regional High School, a Grade one position and a Grade 7 position at the Ridge View
Community School, and the Cyber Security Program at TCTC.
Each municipality will receive the following adjustment in local school assessments
when compared to 2024-2025: Dexter – $29,142.99 increase or 1.42%; Exeter –
$33,850.40 increase or 5.36%; Garland – $35,566.35 increase or 5.78%; and Ripley –
$18,148.72 increase or 4.92%. These assessments are calculated based on the town
valuations and the student enrollment from each community and are also applied to the
debt service, food service, and adult education assessments. The SAD #46 Budget and
Finance Committee worked very hard, taking into account the local assessment impact
on taxpayers and the need to maintain student programming at the expected level;
keeping SAD #46 the great school district that it is.
SAD #46 needs to comply with the Budget Validation Referendum component of the
annual school budget enactment. To comply, SAD #46 will need to complete three
phases to enact a new budget for 2025-2026. The process is as follows:
1. The SAD #46 Board of Directors unanimously approved a school budget for
2025-2026 at their May 7, 2025, board meeting. SAD #46 will issue a budget
newspaper that will be distributed by the Eastern Maine Gazette and will also
make it available to the public at the district budget meeting. The published
Budget format will be modified this year to save on ever increasing publishing
costs. If you would like a more detailed copy of the budget, please contact
the Superintendent’s Office at 924-6000 ext. 2.
2. SAD #46 will hold a district budget meeting on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at
the Ridge View Community School at 6:00 p.m. Residents from the four
towns that compose SAD #46 (Dexter, Exeter, Garland, 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.
3. There will be a Budget Validation Referendum on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in
each of the four district towns that states, “Do you favor approving the Maine
School Administrative District No. 46 budget for the upcoming school year
that was adopted at the latest district budget meeting?
The SAD #46 proposed 2025-2026 School Budget will be in a Cost Center format, the
same format as the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
SAD #46 will deliver complete budget information sheets to each polling location after
the District Budget Meeting. These informational sheets will be made available to
residents as they enter the polling place on June 10, 2025. Votes from each of the four
towns will be added together to signify a total vote. The total vote will be the indicator
of whether the budget passed.
This budget approval process is the same process that was utilized for the 2024-2025
budget. SAD #46 residents will need to vote on the school budget twice to enact it.
SAD #46 is mandated by law to comply with this process.
Sincerely,
Kevin T. Jordan, Superintendent
AOS #94
SAD #46
Athens School Department
Harmony School Department