Lisbon is one of roughly a half dozen school districts in the state starting the year without a new budget in place. The schools there will have to operate under last year's budget, which provides nearly half a million dollars less than what the district is seeking, and was twice rejected by voters.
Teachers across the district now have to prepare for the year ahead without a budget in hand.
Just days before school starts, the special education teacher at Gartley Street School, Suzanne Nelson, is in her classroom, ensuring her files are updated for her combined group of elementary-aged kids.
"Prepping in this program is knowing what I want to do, knowing what I need to accomplish, having it all planned out, but not set in stone, because my day is determined by them when they walk in," Nelson says.
But Nelson's plans will have to an include an extra challenge this year, as she and her colleagues will operate without a new budget. And that makes her nervous.
"Everybody knows teachers buy their own supplies when budgets get tight, well, the budgets tight, and I'm not going to be buying all those school supplies. I'm keeping it — I'm keeping my own personal budget tight," Nelson says.
Lisbon isn't the only district that has failed to pass a school budget by September. Voters in Fort Kent, Kennebunk and Searsport have also refused to go along with requested spending increases on their town ballots. Searsport superintendent Laura Miller said the driving issue is taxes, even though the school districts budget represented just a 2% increase over last year.
"When you look at a tax bill and it says that the greatest percentage, which is usually between 60% and 70% of the bill, goes to education. That seems to be where people get stuck," Miller says.
Residents in Lisbon are facing a major tax increase of nearly 20% because of a municipal accounting error, and some believe the school system has become the scapegoat for voter frustration and anger.
"I want to apologize to y'all that you have — you and your school budget have been the victim of what has been a very clear outcry from the public regarding the municipal side of the house," said town counselor Norm Albert at a school budget meeting in June.
After the initial vote, Albert was among the many community members who encouraged the school committee to stand firm on their funding request and resubmit the same spending plan to voters in August.
"I have zero interest on balancing the budget issues that we have right now on the backs of our children in this community. I do not intend to change one iota, dollar or anything in the budget you propose, and I look forward to seeing it again in a few weeks," Albert said.
But a few weeks later, voters again made it very clear: their tax bills are the issue.
"Taxes are high enough. Everything's going up, and it's just a burden I can't bear," said Melissa Cote of Lisbon Falls.
Cote said it feels like she pays more each year while town services continue to be cut, and the school budget has to be part of the solution.
"Certainly I don't want to be or have it a detriment to our children. Certainly they are the future, but it is something that needs to be balanced out," Cote said.
The measure failed again by almost 300 votes. Two weeks later, school committee member Leonard Lednum warned residents that because the town's tax rate would likely be approved, voting down the school budget would have no effect on the higher tax burden.
"So if you're mad that the town is getting too much money, this isn't a way to stop that," Lednum said.
Without a budget, state law dictates that Lisbon must operate under the most recent spending plan approved through referendum. Superintendent Richard Greene said that's almost $600,000 less than what he proposed for this year. For the town's third vote some time this fall, Greene is proposing a curtailed version that's $120,000 less than the two that have been rejected.
Back at the Gartley Street School, special ed teacher Suzanne Nelson is focused on getting the school year underway.
"We can't do anything about it this year, so we're just trying to buckle down and get through it," Nelson says.
The public hearing for Lisbon's third proposed school budget is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2.
