TOPSHAM

Looking at a total dollar amount — $561,761 — Maine School Administrative District 75’s proposed increase in spending for the 2018-19 fiscal year seems high.

But when compared to overall spending in the budget — $38.6 million — the increase amounts to a little less than 2 percent from the current year.

In a presentation to the school board last week, Superintendent Brad Smith noted the four towns in the district would see an overall increase of $947,646, about 4 percent. He cautioned, however, that local contributions are an estimate at this point that could change once the district receives the final subsidy information from the state.

Each town in the district would be impacted differently:

• Topsham would see an increase of $640,620 — or 6.6 percent — to a total contribution of $10.3 million;

• Bowdoin would see an increase of $100,370 — or 3.5 percent — to a total contribution of $2.9 million;

• Bowdoinham would see an increase of $143,822 — or 4.9 percent — to a total contribution of $3.1 million;

• Harpswell would see an increase of $62,833 — or 0.8 percent — to a total contribution of $7.8 million.

The district has lost around $1 million in state subsidies in the past year. Due to the state’s change in standards for how school districts are subsidized, Smith said, MSAD 75 was one of the hardest hit in the state.

A significant change in state subsidies received by the district was for Region 10 Technical High School. Most recently, MSAD 75 received $741,964 for it, but that funding now goes directly to Region 10. Taking the technical education subsidy out of the picture, the district is looking at a loss of a little more than $250,000 from the state to offset other costs.

If the school board were to approve and move forward with a plan to add preschool, the total state subsidy for the district would be $266,387. The preschool program comes with an estimated cost of $163,287.

Additional spending drivers include: Maintaining a school-based health clinic that is no longer subsidize by the state, at a cost of $41,822, and an expense of $67,770 to lease and purchase five news buses. Smith said legislation could be passed that might help minimize the health center cost, while state subsidies that kick in next year would help recoup the upfront cost of the buses.

He said he would also like to add a new teacher at Williams-Cone Elementary as enrollment at the school has increased.

To offset new spending, the budget proposes eliminating a currently vacant special education position at a cost of $76,222. Another potential reduction could come from the elimination of an undetermined teaching position for $65,000.

The Finance Committee may still make changes to the budget, and the district plans to conduct three public forums on the plan.

chris@timesrecord.com