If costs hike for Wiscasset schools next year, School Committee Chairman Steve Smith said he would rather raise the budget than cut it. He would also consider increased spending to benefit students, Smith said at the Sept. 24 School Committee meeting and in comments afterward.

He asked fellow committee members to think about how much of an increase they would be willing to support, ahead of the panel’s first budget talks in late October.

“We’ll talk about what’s important to all of us and what we can get done,” Smith said. Members agreed to put the preliminary budget discussion on the October agenda.

However, member Glen Craig took issue with Smith raising the prospect of a budget hike at the Sept. 24 meeting. “I think it’s premature to bring up,” he said.

The newspapers will be reporting that the school budget is going up, Craig said. “So I think that’s going to be a hurdle.”

Smith defended his comments, saying he wants to be open with the public.

Plans call for the school resource officer’s pay to move next year from the town budget to the school budget, Smith said later. Fixed costs such as buildings’ expenses could also rise, so even without any new investment in programs for students, the budget could increase, he said.

If the committee doesn’t support an increase, the alternative would be cuts, which would be hard to find, he said. The school budget dropped by about $1,000,000 this year, when Wiscasset went from three schools to two.

“Everything’s already been cut,” Smith said.

School district payoff

No new burden will come from the town’s final payment to Regional School Unit 12, Smith said. He learned from Town Manager Marian Anderson that the prior $2 million line of credit the town took out will cover the $256,000 payment, he said. The figure represents Wiscasset’s share of the district’s deficit, Smith said.

Under the 2013 withdrawal deal, Wiscasset is responsible for paying 26.1 percent of the district’s $1.6 million deficit minus the summer 2014 teacher salaries Wiscasset has already paid, RSU 12 Superintendent of Schools Howie Tuttle said Sept. 25.

Passing up flashers buy

The committee decided not to go in with the town on a used pair of school zone flashers that North Yarmouth is selling. In August, the panel asked Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot to further research the offer.

North Yarmouth wants $9,000 for the solar-powered flashers, which would then need to be installed near Wiscasset Middle High School, Wilmot told the committee Sept. 24. The Wiscasset Public Works Department would help with installation, Wilmot said.

The buy is not in the current school budget, so the department’s share, $4,500, would have to come from contingency, which is supposed to be for emergencies, committee members said.

The school zone at the middle high school already has a flashing light and police patrols, member Michael Dunn said.

Principal search update

Fifteen candidates applied to be Wiscasset Middle High’s next principal, Wilmot said. Cheri Towle’s last day as principal is Oct. 23. Committee members discussed possibly meeting before then to hire the next one while Towle is still on the job. An overlap would help with the transition, Smith said.

As of Sept. 24, 74 people including students, staff, parents and others had taken a survey seeking input on the principal search, Wilmot said.

Wilmot congratulated Towle on becoming superintendent of schools in Brewer.

Money back from the move

The department did so well on saving Bisson Moving and Storage’s boxes when Wiscasset Primary School closed, Bisson has given the department $1,354, Wilmot said. The company paid $1 for each box returned, she said.

“Really, really happy about that. It’s a credit to (Maintenance and Transportation Director John Merry) and his staff and the teachers who were diligent about that,” she said.