Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson proposed a budget offer June 25 with $236,104 in cuts from the one that lost with voters June 9. And she added $19,500 in state aid for a one-time payment the school department expects in July.

As outlined in the school committee workshop, her first round of revisions would drop the budget from the $11.2 million first offer, to $10.9 million; the local ask of $7,235,767 would be about 4% more than in 2025-26; the failed offer's local ask had been up about 8% from 2025-26. The $236,104 drop included a savings tied to the new Wiscasset Middle High School principal: Andersson explained, savings on insurance with the hire (Chris Hennessey) offset the about $12,000 higher pay; in other savings, she expects to replace retiring and resigning teachers with less-senior ones; drop education consultants, some of whose work she expects can instead be funded federally; not replacing two resigning educational technicians; continue to use an agency for, rather than hire, a deaf interpreter; go with in-person physical therapy rather than online; and pare dues and fees.

New member John Merry said of the revised budget draft, "I'm a little concerned that it may not be enough to pass another (town) vote."

According to the discussion, factors still in play included insurance costs and the teacher and support staff contracts still under negotiation. Merrill added, "Of course we've also lost ground through inflation."

As a result of the workshop, Andersson is working to come up with another $200,000-plus in budget cuts. Andersson said she would "keep paring" and have the new number ready for the committee's special meeting Tuesday, June 30 to adopt warrant articles for a special town meeting. Due to print edition deadlines, look for results of the June 30 committee meeting at wiscassetnewspaper.com and in the July 9 print edition.

On a question from member Christopher Hart about the education consultants, Andersson said if money for them is available in Wiscasset's federal Title Two funding, "we'll just move them over to that."

"And if we can't, have they laid some groundwork that we can work from," Hart asked.

"Definitely, there's groundwork that we can work from," Andersson said. She added, "I feel pretty confident that we'll be able to utilize Title money for some portion of that. We all discussed it, and we have to make a cut, so we think we'll be able to move forward without a great loss in services."

Member Jonathan Barnes again floated farming out the superintendent of schools' duties. The idea sank, as it did when he broached it this spring. Barnes has said Wiscasset could share another district's superintendent. 

“I still am a proponent of closing central office and contracting (instead)," he said in last week's workshop. “We’re trying to find (another) $221,000 in savings … consolidating a nurse and consolidating a librarian and contracting out the superintendent's office saves you $323,000.”

The superintendent needs to present cuts she believes will work, member Doug Merrill said after Barnes' comments. Other than Barnes, no member voiced support June 25 for consolidating the two schools’ library or nursing staff or farming out for superintendent.

As for nursing, Andersson said, “I think that leadership at both buildings felt really strongly that they needed to have a nurse in both of the buildings. We've done that (sharing) in the past … and it doesn't work well. It's not ideal," in part because there are students on medications, she said.