Brewer eyes latest school funding

BREWER – It’s only a preliminary assessment of the new school funding formula, but it looks as though the school department may get additional funds for 2005-06 and taxpayers may get a break, according to a school official.

The numbers are so iffy that school committee members were told several times during Monday night’s meeting that they should be prepared for the possibility that the new Essential Programs and Services, or EPS, figures could change over the next several months.

“These are estimates, and estimates are nothing but an intellectual guess at any given time,” business manager Lester Young said. “If everything stays the same, we’re looking at $5,613,918 or $1,342,365 more than we received last year in state subsidy.

“This [new] formula fits Brewer very well,” he said. “Brewer is the right size. That’s a significant increase in state subsidy.”

A ballpark figure of just over $15 million was tossed around at the meeting as a projected total budget amount, which is an increase of 4.8 percent over this year’s budget. If a $15 million budget is approved, the additional state funding would translate into a $776,000 tax break for residents, Young said.

But because the numbers are just projections, Young added, “I really don’t think those figures should be taken to the bank.”

These preliminary figures do not take into consideration several factors including increasing costs of heating oil, gas for transportation, other utilities or insurance, the business manager said.

Brewer officials typically don’t start the budget process until May but decided to get a jump-start on the process this year because several questions remain concerning the state’s new EPS funding formula and how it will affect the school department, Superintendent Betsy Webb said.

“There are still many unknowns,” she said. “Every minute we hear something different, and every minute we have to do something different.”

Webb presented the board with a short breakdown of the new EPS funding for Brewer. The list of EPS questions is numerous and ranges from transportation for special education students to maintaining Brewer’s new gifted and talented program, she said.

“It’s fairly complex and complicated,” Young said. “I think they’re trying to repair the aircraft while it’s flying.”

Brewer officials hope legislators will finish work on the state’s appropriations bill within the next three weeks or so, which would give school districts firmer figures to work with, Webb said.

“The appropriate next step is the initial meeting with the city,” she said. “This is a preliminary look [at the school budget], and we’ll need to blend it with the city’s.”

During the meeting, the board also:

. Recognized the Brewer High School cheerleading squad and head coach Kristie Reed for earning their second straight Eastern Maine Class A cheering title and runner-up status at the state competition.

. Accepted with regret the resignations of Elaine Emery, director of instruction; Tammy Miconi, food service assistant; and Tanya Baker, literary specialist who is on a one-year leave of absence.