Proposed school budget heads before public, school board (Printed Feb. 22, 2008)
By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
South Portland School Superintendent Suzanne Godin plans to present the proposed 2009 fiscal year budget to the school board and the public at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Memorial Middle School Library.
Godin said the city council set a target of a 4.18 percent increase on needs from taxes. She said the department has yet to learn what next year’s Essential Programs and Services (EPS) subsidy will be. Due to the state budget shortfall and changes at the federal level in Medicaid reimbursement, funding is expected to be drastically reduced, Godin said.
Following Godin’s initial presentation, budget workshops have been scheduled for Feb. 28, March 3, and March 4.
All of those workshops will take place at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Middle School Library.
The school board is expected to adopt the budget at its March 10 meeting. The city council is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on the budget on April 2. The meetings will be televised and there will be an opportunity for the public to comment at each meeting.
A citizen budget validation referendum – required under the new school consolidation law – is expected to take place in mid-April.
Godin said she also plans to present a “redistricting” plan for the city’s elementary and middle schools during the Feb. 28 workshop.
“We looked at eight different potential scenarios and are trying to finalize a plan that we will present,” Godin said.
The redistricting process is needed to address changing enrollment trends, create equity in all five elementary schools and return English Language Learner (ELL) students to their neighborhood schools, Godin has said.
Staff Writer
South Portland School Superintendent Suzanne Godin plans to present the proposed 2009 fiscal year budget to the school board and the public at 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Memorial Middle School Library.
Godin said the city council set a target of a 4.18 percent increase on needs from taxes. She said the department has yet to learn what next year’s Essential Programs and Services (EPS) subsidy will be. Due to the state budget shortfall and changes at the federal level in Medicaid reimbursement, funding is expected to be drastically reduced, Godin said.
Following Godin’s initial presentation, budget workshops have been scheduled for Feb. 28, March 3, and March 4.
All of those workshops will take place at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Middle School Library.
The school board is expected to adopt the budget at its March 10 meeting. The city council is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on the budget on April 2. The meetings will be televised and there will be an opportunity for the public to comment at each meeting.
A citizen budget validation referendum – required under the new school consolidation law – is expected to take place in mid-April.
Godin said she also plans to present a “redistricting” plan for the city’s elementary and middle schools during the Feb. 28 workshop.
“We looked at eight different potential scenarios and are trying to finalize a plan that we will present,” Godin said.
The redistricting process is needed to address changing enrollment trends, create equity in all five elementary schools and return English Language Learner (ELL) students to their neighborhood schools, Godin has said.
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