Print
E-mail
Rate
Share
Gendron offers grant to Pownal
By: Beth Brogan, Times Record Staff
FREEPORT — At a hastily arranged meeting with a delegation from Regional School Unit 5, Education Commissioner Susan Gendron offered Pownal a $190,000 grant to help alleviate a 35 percent increase in education costs associated with that community’s participation in the three-town regional school district.
On Thursday, four members of RSU 5’s board of directors and Superintendent Shannon Welsh met with Gendron in Augusta to explain how residents of the three towns were alarmed at the unforeseen budget disparities, resulting in part from a reduction in state aid to education and the cost-sharing plan proposed by the district.
Gendron previously said the towns could not withdraw from the union — which all three voted to create — but was concerned about the budgetary conflicts and increased tax impact, particularly on School Administrative District 62 in Pownal.
“She understands the temperament going on around here and is trying to help,” RSU 5 board member Beth Parker, of Freeport, said Friday. “This grant will help us resolve some of the issues on valuation and the educational benefits of consolidation.”
Parker attended the meeting with board members Nelson Larkins of Freeport, Jen Kaplan of Pownal, Laurie Poissioner of Durham, Welsh, Carol Cyr of Pownal and Rep. David Webster, D-Freeport.
Parker said the Pownal school board will discuss the grant, “because it was offered to Pownal specifically,” and will likely hold an emergency meeting prior to the RSU 5 meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said Friday that the grant offered to Pownal is the only such grant offered by the department so far, “and quite probably will be the only one.”
“It’s a fairly unique situation there,” Connerty-Marin said. “Not that there aren’t challenges in other reorganizations, but certainly (RSU 5) took a unique approach to the cost-sharing formula and we want to look at that in more detail to see the impact.”
In addition, he said, the grant “gives them a little breathing space” to address a variety of issues. The potential tax impact next year, he said, resulted from a number of factors that had nothing to do with reorganization. Those factors include a significant increase in property valuation, a decrease in enrollment and Pownal’s use this year of “a significant carryover” of funding from last year to reduce expenses.
If the grant is accepted, SAD 62 could use it as additional carry-forward funds in the 2009-10 budget to alleviate the immediate tax burden to that town, a statement on the RSU 5 Web site says. Also part of the deal is a commitment by RSU 5 administrators and board members to participate in Department of Education research examining reorganization.
“The long-range goal of the grant would be to generate solutions supporting the efforts of the RSU in becoming a more efficient and effective organization,” a statement on the RSU 5 Web site reads. “Reorganization information generated as a result of the grant will be provided to the Legislature’s Education Committee and will potentially benefit Pownal, the RSU, and the state. The impact of this monetary infusion will be studied and considered before a decision of acceptance.”
As a result of the grant offer, the board’s delegation did not request authorization for voter consideration of amendments to the plan, proposed earlier last week by board members. Among those proposals, one by Larkins would have had each town submit its own budget in an effort to mirror each town’s current school system as closely as possible within the confines of the school consolidation law.
Another proposal, by Freeport representative Elizabeth Peters, would have deferred immediate operational concerns to local school budgets and granted the regional board more time to investigate benefits of consolidation.
bbrogan@timesrecord.com
On Thursday, four members of RSU 5’s board of directors and Superintendent Shannon Welsh met with Gendron in Augusta to explain how residents of the three towns were alarmed at the unforeseen budget disparities, resulting in part from a reduction in state aid to education and the cost-sharing plan proposed by the district.
Gendron previously said the towns could not withdraw from the union — which all three voted to create — but was concerned about the budgetary conflicts and increased tax impact, particularly on School Administrative District 62 in Pownal.
“She understands the temperament going on around here and is trying to help,” RSU 5 board member Beth Parker, of Freeport, said Friday. “This grant will help us resolve some of the issues on valuation and the educational benefits of consolidation.”
Parker attended the meeting with board members Nelson Larkins of Freeport, Jen Kaplan of Pownal, Laurie Poissioner of Durham, Welsh, Carol Cyr of Pownal and Rep. David Webster, D-Freeport.
Parker said the Pownal school board will discuss the grant, “because it was offered to Pownal specifically,” and will likely hold an emergency meeting prior to the RSU 5 meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said Friday that the grant offered to Pownal is the only such grant offered by the department so far, “and quite probably will be the only one.”
“It’s a fairly unique situation there,” Connerty-Marin said. “Not that there aren’t challenges in other reorganizations, but certainly (RSU 5) took a unique approach to the cost-sharing formula and we want to look at that in more detail to see the impact.”
In addition, he said, the grant “gives them a little breathing space” to address a variety of issues. The potential tax impact next year, he said, resulted from a number of factors that had nothing to do with reorganization. Those factors include a significant increase in property valuation, a decrease in enrollment and Pownal’s use this year of “a significant carryover” of funding from last year to reduce expenses.
If the grant is accepted, SAD 62 could use it as additional carry-forward funds in the 2009-10 budget to alleviate the immediate tax burden to that town, a statement on the RSU 5 Web site says. Also part of the deal is a commitment by RSU 5 administrators and board members to participate in Department of Education research examining reorganization.
“The long-range goal of the grant would be to generate solutions supporting the efforts of the RSU in becoming a more efficient and effective organization,” a statement on the RSU 5 Web site reads. “Reorganization information generated as a result of the grant will be provided to the Legislature’s Education Committee and will potentially benefit Pownal, the RSU, and the state. The impact of this monetary infusion will be studied and considered before a decision of acceptance.”
As a result of the grant offer, the board’s delegation did not request authorization for voter consideration of amendments to the plan, proposed earlier last week by board members. Among those proposals, one by Larkins would have had each town submit its own budget in an effort to mirror each town’s current school system as closely as possible within the confines of the school consolidation law.
Another proposal, by Freeport representative Elizabeth Peters, would have deferred immediate operational concerns to local school budgets and granted the regional board more time to investigate benefits of consolidation.
bbrogan@timesrecord.com
Share this Article
 |
||
| Bath lands $200K for oil cleanup |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of timesrecord.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
Popular Searches
