Hours after Wiscasset School Department's second try at a 2026-27 school budget lost at the polls Sept. 1, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson was up early and went online to check out Richmond's school budget and compare it, line by line, to Wiscasset's. The Sagadahoc County town's school budget has been cited by Ed Polewarczyk, a frequent questioner of Wiscasset's school budget.

Talking with the school committee Sept. 3, Andersson said she found Richmond's special education budget is more than $1 million less than Wiscasset's. Richmond has fewer students with out-of-district placements than Wiscasset does, Andersson said.

She said Richmond budgets about half a million dollars less for facilities. Theirs are much newer, committee member Doug Merrill said. "That makes a big difference."

Andersson later talked with Richmond's superintendent. She said he's part-time, contracted for three days a week, "but in reality he works four-plus." She said a day was going to be added but he asked that it go to the business manager, to up that job to three days a week. 

Andersson then told the committee, "If the dust can settle here, and we don't have to do four budgets a year, I could see a future where my position might be able to scale down, to three or three and a half days (a week)." And with her accounting background, she eventually might to be able to take on some of the work of the business manager, she said, noting Regional School Unit 48's superintendent is also its business manager.

"Again, not for this year, we'd have to aim at it, but we could whittle down the size of this office ... That's for the future, but I don't think it's all hopeless," Andersson said.

As far as Wiscasset's latest failed budget goes, no one in the meeting, two days after the town vote, proposed more cuts for the third try at an offer voters will approve. Merrill suggested taking more from the undesignated fund balance than the $500,000 Andersson said the second offer would have taken. That would have left about $460,000 in the undesignated fund balance, she said.

At different points, Merrill floated taking $100,000, $150,000, or $160,000 or $170,000 that would otherwise carry over from 2025-26. Not having it makes him nervous, though, he said. Chair Tracey Whitney said it makes her nervous, too. 

"There's nothing to cut out of the budget," Merrill said. "We've got no fat anywhere and there's nothing to cut anywhere. Electricity's up, oil's up, so the contingencies (reserve funds) for those accounts are going to get swallowed up ..."

Vice Chair John Merry said he didn't know "how we continue to avoid" the high ratio of teachers to students, since jobs are so much of the budget that remains after the cuts. The committee this year began trying to address it through attrition, redistributing the work if possible, rather than filling an opening.

Up to two special ed teacher jobs might be able to go unfilled,  Andersson said. She cautioned, if the department ever gets an in-house day treatment program back that would save money and help the students be nearer home, there would need to be enough staffing.

"I think we're past the point where we keep hoping that something is needed in the future ... holding onto people now, in case we have a program later," Merry said. "I think we're at that point where we may not be able to do that."

Plans call for budget talks in a 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 workshop in Wiscasset Middle High School's library; and in a special meeting at 6 that night, also in the library, more talks and possible adoption of a revised budget offer.

Also Sept. 3, the committee made a timeline to fill the seat Jonathan Barnes resigned from Aug. 26. The term runs out next June. A subsequent announcement advised residents wanting to be considered to send a letter of interest "including a summary of their background and the reasons why they are interested in serving the Wiscasset Schools community" to Chair Tracey Whitney, twhitney@wiscassetschools.org, and to Andersson at kandersson@wiscassetschools.org, by 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14.

The committee planned a special meeting on the appointment for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 in WMHS' library.