The Lisbon School Committee moved forward this week with a $121,000 cut to a $21.3 million budget that was rejected twice by the Androscoggin County town.
Superintendent Chris Green told the committee on Monday that savings would come from cutting support for a school resource officer and adult education, as well as the elimination of an athletic trainer position. The cuts will bring the proposal down from a 2.9 percent increase to a 2.4 percent increase.
It’s the latest attempt by officials to placate voters protesting high property taxes. Lisbon is one of more than a dozen towns across Maine that has seen school budgets fail this year, and the local feud that has spilled out of the process might be the biggest one of them all.
Earlier this month, Lisbon voted down the school budget to express discontent over the municipal budget, which is approved by town councilors. Members of the school committee have complained that opponents have cited few specifics, while a prominent politician is vowing to keep fighting the district on it.
“Hopefully this is enough,” committee member Len Lednum said at the Monday meeting. “Hopefully this gets us to a point where folks understand that we also understand but we’re trying to balance the needs of our students, our families.”
Deeper cuts may be difficult to find. The superintendent recently reassured district staff that the committee has no plans to cut any existing positions, and the school year is set to begin before residents weigh in on the budget again.
“Any additional cuts to the school department are going to impact our ability to provide student services, sports,” Green said.
School committee members expressed hope that they could better communicate their views on the next referendum to voters; they have been facing a well-funded opposition effort.
In advance of the referendums, voters in town received mailers from the Renew the American Dream PAC, a political action committee run by former state Rep. Dale Crafts, a Republican who claimed credit for driving unusually high turnout in the June and August votes.
Crafts said he was glad the committee realized residents wanted to bring the budget down, but he plans to keep opposing the budget to push for deeper cuts.
“I don’t think it’s enough for Lisbon taxpayers,” he said, adding that he’s “never seen anything like” how upset his fellow residents have been over high costs.
The town’s tax levy has already been set by the council, and any cuts to the school budget will not be reflected in this year’s tax bills. Crafts, who ran for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020 and is now seeking a seat on the council, said the school committee should put forward a budget that maintains last year’s spending.
Green, the superintendent, is pushing for an Oct. 7 vote. That would put the vote close to the regularly scheduled election in November. Some have proposed voting in November instead, which would save the town money. It would also likely mean higher turnout, as the budget validation would then appear alongside Maine’s ballot referendums.
If the budget failed again in October, a fourth referendum would be slated for December. Delaying the next vote to November could force a fourth vote to go ahead as late as February. The Town Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the school committee’s proposed budget on Sept. 2. Until it passes, the district is operating on its last budget.
Town Councilor Nicholas Craig said it’s hard to tell where public opinion stands, but he’s hopeful the cuts will be enough to get the budget passed on the third try.
“After the last vote there seemed to be a contingent that came out more in support of the schools,” he said.
Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural politics as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.
