For a second consecutive week, a split vote of Wiscasset's school committee March 25 moved the would be 2025-26 school budget nearer the first of two town votes. Pending selectmen's warrant-signing, residents' first vote, a series of votes on cost centers and other proposals, was planned for 6 p.m. April 29 at Wiscasset Middle High School, in a special town meeting.

The proposed budget has 3% more in costs and a 4.54% higher local ask than in 2024-25. Committee members Jonathan Barnes and Tracey Whitney dissented on the warrant's approval, as they did a week earlier on the proposed budget. Neither member signed the warrant after the March 25 vote, Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson confirmed. March 18, Barnes had sought more paring to avoid padding and Whitney had called for budget items' cleanup and explaining.

As members noted after the vote, the warrant needed a majority, or three, members' signatures. It says the same about selectboard signatures. Andersson expected the selectboard to take up the warrant Tuesday night, April 1.

The warrant asks what sum the committee will be authorized to spend for regular instuction, a recommended $3,679,773. "This article covers salaries and benefits for regular education teachers and support personnel, as well as classroom supplies, equipment, books, and repairs," the warrant states.

For special education instruction, $2,548,057 is recommended. The warrant notes, "This article provides salaries and benefits for special education teachers and support personnel, out of district placement(s) and professional services." Other articles recommend $0 for career and technical education; $395,622 for other instruction, "i.e. co-curricular, extra-curricular activities, alternative education and English Language Learners instruction"; student and staff support, $799,381; system administration, $514,879; school administration, $647,885; transportation and buses, $710,012; facilities maintenance, $1,532,662; debt service, $0; total all other expenditures – other food service transfer, $68,000; " ... raise and assess as the Town’s contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15688. Required Local - $3,611,810.00 Total Raised - $5,551,743.47."

Then a written ballot vote "to see what sum the Town will be authorized to raise and appropriate in additional local funds for school purposes under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 15690. The Wiscasset School Committee recommends $3,500,013 which exceeds the State’s Essential Programs and Services allocation model by $3,432,013 as required to fund the budget recommended by the school Committee. The school committee gives the following reasons for exceeding the State’s Essential Programs and Services funding model by $3,432,013: The additional local funds represent local costs to support the Wiscasset School Department school programs that are not included in the State’s funding model, including costs for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, transportation, school and system administration, and special education services. Recommend – $3,500,013 Explanation: The additional local funds are those locally raised funds over and above the Town’s local contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act and local amounts raised for the annual payment on non-state funded debt service that will help achieve the Town budget for educational programs."

The sum the committee can spend from the school department's contribution to the total cost of funding public education from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 "as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act, additional local funds for school purpose, under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, Section 15690, unexpended balances, tuition receipts, state subsidy and other receipts for the support of schools. Recommend – $10,896,270"; let the committee spend $23,000 from the adult education fund balance, current balance $31,464, "with authorization to expend any additional, incidental, or miscellaneous receipts in the interest of the adult education program," yes vote recommended; establish a “School Capital Reserve Fund to fund capital improvement projects, maintenance of plant, facility upgrades and minor remodeling, emergency repairs, and capital equipment purchases, and to transfer up to $325,000 from the Wiscasset School Department’s undesignated fund balances to that reserve fund and to expend up to $325,000 from (it) to fund capital projects," yes vote recommended.

Let the committee spend available funds in the Special Education Reserve Fund, currently at $225,000, to pay unanticipated special ed costs, yes vote recommended; let the committee spend available funds from the Fuel Reserve Fund, currently at $50,000, "to offset heating and transportation fuel costs that exceed budgeted amounts," yes vote recommended; establish a Health Insurance Reserve Fund and transfer "up to $80,000 from available fund balances to it, and spend from it to "offset costs for health insurance that exceed budgeted amounts," yes vote recommended.

Let the committee accept and spend state, federal and other grants and receipts that do not require spending local funds "not previously appropriated," yes vote recommended; if Wiscasset School Department "receives more state education subsidy than the amount included in its budget, shall the School Committee be authorized to use all or part of the additional state subsidy to increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the School Committee, increase the allocation of finances in a reserve fund approved by the School Committee, and/or decrease the local cost share expectation, as defined in Title 20-A, section 15671-A (1)(B), for local property taxpayers for funding public education as approved by the School Committee," yes vote recommended.

Asked March 26 how confident he was the warrant articles will pass intact April 29 given the 3-2 committee vote, Chair Jason Putnam told Wiscasset Newspaper, "I'm very confident." He said changes could happen, "but I don't really see why, personally ... It's a tight budget, it has a very small increase." Putnam added, "We'll have our budget validation meeting and we'll have the town vote (June 10)."