The town budget vote is taking place on Saturday, Aug. 29. Voters can go to the town office 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to vote by secret ballot regarding the school budget along with all Edgecomb department budgets. If you are unable to make it to the town office to vote on that day, you are able to request an absentee ballot. Here is the link for information regarding the absentee ballot process: https://edgecomb.org/news-notices/secret-ballot-election-and-referendum/

You may also vote at the office Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 to 5 p.m. A request is not necessary when voting at the office.

The budget proposed to the residents is a 0% tax increase for the 2020-21 school year. Before speaking to the upcoming budget, we would like to explain why there was a surplus at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year.

● First, we are excited to see an increase in Alna and Westport students choosing to attend Edgecomb Eddy. Each year, administration and the board are charged with planning how much tuition revenue may be offsetting next year’s proposed budget. We are very careful in making these predictions. The School Committee and administration base our predictions on communications we receive expressing almost certain interest in attending. By using those numbers in our proposed budget, our aim is to avoid budgeting for potential revenue that does not pan out, which could then require being covered by taxpayers. We were fortunate enough to have more students from Alna and Westport join our student body than we predicted. Students joining us from these towns bring more energy to our school by increasing the size of our enrollment, along with helpful additional revenue. This is one major factor that led to a surplus at the end of the school year.

● Second, the COVID-19 pandemic required that the school engage in distance learning rather than in-person learning. This resulted in budget cost centers seeing a reduction in spending, also contributing to the surplus at the end of the school year. Now regarding the 2020-2021 school budget, the total assessment to the town is $787 less than the 2019-20 total assessment to the town, leading to a 0% tax increase to the residents of Edgecomb.

Here are the major points to consider in looking at next year’s proposed budget:

Revenues

● While there are cost centers with increased expenditures, there are revenue components in our proposed budget that greatly offset those shifts, yielding a 0% tax increase to the residents of Edgecomb for the 2020-21 fiscal year:

○ State EPS subsidy increased by 87.6% ($196,791 more than FY20).

○ We expect an increase in Elementary Tuition of 35.6% ($31,764 more than FY20).

○ While the school’s overall budget increased by 1.4%, there is no increase to the Town’s Assessment due to the above mentioned factors.

Expenditures

● Regular Education - The approximate increase in this cost center reflects the movement of a teacher from another cost center to this one in order to support the increased enrollment we are experiencing at Edgecomb Eddy, a shift in wages with the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement that went into effect last August, and a change in health benefit charges due to changes in Anthem fees.

● Slight increases in Facilities Maintenance are attributed to standard increase in salaries & benefits as well as line items never previously budgeted for: building repair/maintenance, security system, and a slight increase in contracted services and equipment.

There are other adjustments (both increases and decreases of lesser amounts than described above) moving into the FY2021 budget. If you’d like to see a detailed breakdown of the budget, please visit the following link: (link to come based on business office approval).

The school committee is excited to present two articles as additional authorizations to the residents of Edgecomb that are available this year if you approve the School Committee’s recommendation for the following allocated funds:

● Capital Improvement Reserve: The School Committee recommends that the town authorize the appropriation of up to $250,000 from the unassigned fund balance to a non-lapsing Capital Improvements Reserve account and authorize the School Committee to expend amounts from the reserve, as it deems appropriate, for its designated purposes during the fiscal year.

○ Explanation: The purpose of the Capital Improvements Reserve is to set aside funds for future capital improvement expenditures (e.g. building additions or renovations, grounds additions or renovations, equipment acquisitions, etc.). The unexpended balance of this reserve will not lapse to the unassigned fund balance at the end of the fiscal year.

■ Further explanation: Visitors of the school can observe that the roof of the school requires attention. Shingles are curling and often detach during high wind storms. The School Committee would like to protect the investment that taxpayers have entrusted them with overseeing and recommend approval of this warrant article. While this total amount may not cover the entire cost of roof replacement, it will go a long way to financing this concern and protecting the condition of the facility.

● Emergency Reserve: The School Committee recommends that the town authorize the appropriation of up to $50,000 from the unassigned fund balance to a non-lapsing Emergency Reserve account and authorize the School Committee to expend amounts from the reserve, as it deems appropriate, for its designated purposes during the fiscal year.

○ Explanation: The purpose of the Emergency Reserve is to set aside funds for unanticipated costs arising during the year (e.g. COVID-related expenditures, additional tuition costs, additional special education costs, etc.). The unexpended balance of this reserve will not lapse to the unassigned fund balance at the end of the fiscal year.

There is a great amount to consider when building the Edgecomb Eddy school budget. We members of the School Committee take our responsibility for its oversight as one of our highest priorities in regards to school functions. We are excited to present to you a budget that looks out for the best interests of our Edgecomb Eddy children, that protects our tax investment by looking ahead, and that presents a 0% tax increase to the residents of our town.

Thank you for your consideration, and thank you for voting.

Sincerely,

Tom Abello, School Committee Chair

Heather Sinclair, School Committee Vice Chair

Dawn Murray, School Committee Member