PHILLIPS — Voters Tuesday, June 14, approved the MSAD 58 $10.1 million budget for 2022-2023 and also favored continuing the budget validation process for the next three years.
The budget passed by a wide margin in Avon, Kingfield and Strong with Phillips voting against it by four votes. All towns supported Question 2.
Voting results on the budget question were 44 yes, 13 no in Avon; 92 yes to 17 no in Kingfield; 64 yes to 68 no in Phillips; and 94 to 45 in Strong.
Results for the validation question were 45 to 12 in Avon; 78 to 27 in Kingfield; 91 to 39 in Phillips; and 108 to 28 in Strong.
The $10.1 million budget for 2022-2023 is an increase of 8.6% over the current spending plan. The district reconfigured the schools so there are now two elementary schools for pre-kindergarten to grade four in Kingfield and Phillips, one middle school for grades four to eight in Strong and the high school in Salem Township.
“This reconfiguration resulted in the reduction of more than a dozen staffing positions, resulting in a decrease of over $1,000,000.00 dollars in expenses, and bringing the district in much better alignment with the state funding formula (ED279),” Superintendent Todd Sanders wrote in a budget brochure posted on the school’s website. “The budget reflects an overall increase of 8.058% which is a result of current property valuations, state subsidy, and the returning of expenses covered in the previous fiscal year by federal grants. The resulting increase to local taxpayers is currently 3.80%.”
The brochure indicated the impact to individual towns is:
Avon: Increase of $17,619.00 or 3.31%
Kingfield: Increase of $104,608.00 or 6.54%
Phillips: Increase of $11,362.00 or 1.10%
Strong: Increase of $26,716.00 or 2.55%
Send questions/comments to the editors.
