SAD 54 works on budget

Morning Sentinel, March 18, 2008

(excerpt) Compared to some of its neighbors, School Administrative District 54 stands to realize a pretty good increase in state funding.

Tentative figures from the governor's and the education committee's proposed budgets both show SAD 54 getting an increase in state funding of more than $1 million, Superintendent Brent Colbry said Monday. He is somewhat skeptical that number will hold.

"I'm just leery of that," he said. "There are so many communities that are losing money. We're certainly appreciative of that, if it's true."

Even if it is true, that would represent a decrease in the amount that went to the district last year. Throw in a loss of Medicaid revenues amounting to $400,000, and the school board is facing some tough decisions.

"My sense is, there will be some significant changes in how we do business here," Colbry said. "Even with these numbers, we'll have to make cuts in order to come up with a budget the board will support. They're very concerned about taxes."