The Town Council was unable to carry out a successful vote on the School Board Fiscal Year 2023 Budget on Monday, May 16, 2022.  With two councilors absent, the final vote of 3-2 did not reach the required number of 4 votes for an order to pass per Town Charter.  While the vote did occur, awareness of this charter rule was not evident until the next business day.  A second Special Meeting to vote on the School Board budget will take place on Thursday, May 19 via Zoom.

The School Department budget as recommended by the School Board for Fiscal Year 2023 shows a total appropriation of $31,255,751 and estimated revenues of $2,887,606. Chairman Jeremy Gabrielson and Finance Chair Nicole Boucher were both absent for the meeting.  Councilor Caitlin Jordan was nominated to preside as chair.

Although there were no comments made at the May 9 public hearing and no indication that the council would move to amend the school budget, councilor Timothy Reiniger made a motion to amend the proposed school budget to $30,000,000.  Reiniger said, “I’ve seen plummeting savings, 401K, heating bills the whole bit. I know that there are a lot of people in Cape who are cost-burden. I have felt from the beginning that this budget does need to be as close to zero as much as possible for the benefit of the people here.  To hold the course until we see how this crisis is going to work out and buy ourselves another year.”  Councilor Susan Gillis seconded the motion.

In response to a comment made by Reiniger that he had learned that the governor would be, “Funding up to 55% for essential services,” Councilor Gretchen Noonan asked Superintendent Christopher Record for clarification. Record acknowledged that for possibly the first time in the state’s history, the state government is funding education across the state at 55% but, “This does not mean that they fund Cape’s budget at 55%.  We received little over $2 million for our revenue side, which is an increase from last year; but it is $2 million out of $31 million budget.  We know that the rest of this falls on the taxpayers and we think deeply about that.”

Councilor Penny Jordan, responding to public comments related to declining enrollment not reducing school expenditures, asked Record, “If we think about declining enrollment and the needs of students, how does the needs of students come into play and impact the cost per student? Therefore, you can’t draw a direct correlation between declining enrollment and costs of school?”

Record answered by saying, “The needs of our students and requirements put on school districts are increasing, especially during a pandemic.  Services that did not exist before are being added by mandate and because the local community wants to take care of its kids.  It is not a one to one; population declines or inclines don’t happen equally every grade — it’s all over the place.  Trying to manage that, to be efficient and effective is challenging, but I do take it seriously. I do look at the numbers and try to bring a budget that is reasonable.”  Furthermore, Record added, in comparison to other school departments in Cumberland County, “Our expenditures rank 13th and our tax impact was 9th with an expenditure increase of 4.68% and projected tax increase of 4.97%.  While they are an increase they are under inflation and I am proud of what we did.  We did that while having to increase $200k for oil that we didn’t anticipate and while hopefully settling three contracts.  I believe in this budget and it is advancing our school district in a tough and difficult time.”

Jordan, addressing the impact the pandemic has had on students over the past two years asked, “Is this current budget really trying to put the staffing and support in place to at least get the students over the hump and back on track?”  Record responded by saying that cutting the budget by $1,255,751 would require, “Significant cutting of staff to get there.  To do that in normal times would be challenging and would really change the Cape Elizabeth schools and what we can offer students.  To do that now, when students are still in a pandemic, when learning has been challenged and we have had learning loss would be even harder.  Whichever side of the political spectrum you are on, these kids need help.”  In relation to the increase in mandated services Record said, “It is our job to provide them social and emotional support.  It is our job to provide them social workers, nurses, teachers, and smaller class sizes that can provide academic support.  I think that’s vital.”  In closing, Record said, “We need to think carefully.  What we do now will have ripple effects for decades ahead.  Whatever we do in the schools academically, socially, and emotionally to these kids, will have an impact either positive or negative.”

With no further questions, Councilor Caitlin Jordan called the amended motion to a vote.  The amended motion had Reiniger and Gillis voting in favor; and councilors P. Jordan, C. Jordan, and Noonan voting against.   However, given the Town Charter requirements this vote was also not successful.  As a result, the original motion of approving the budget as proposed by the School Board was moved to a vote which only had three councilors voting in support.