Budget

Since April 6, the Town Council and School Board Finance Committees have engaged in extensive review of the budget details.  At their meeting on May 5, the School Board voted to amend their original budget proposal, making a net reduction of $234,837 to the General Fund (K-12 Operating) budget request and updating project priorities in the school Capital Budget.  On May 18, the Town Council approved the full Municipal Budget, making an additional reduction of $98,500 to the school budget as part of a plan to meet the Council's goal of no more than a 3% increase to the tax rate.  On May 19, the School Board voted to amend their budget proposal to allocate the $98,500 reduction.  Details of the approved budget adjustments are provided below:

FY23 School Budget Amendment - approved at School Board meeting May 19, 2022.

FY23 School Budget Adjustments - approved at School Board Second reading May 5, 2022.

• Leadership Council’s FY23 School Budget Proposal (“the Budget Book”) - a comprehensive document describing current and projected school programs and services, and outlining the resources needed to support them.  
• Budget Book Appendix - supplemental materials and line item account detail.
• COVID-related Federal Funding - summary & detail - see also Budget Book Executive Summary, pp. 6-8.
• School Board/Leadership Council Workshops - slide deck of the in-depth budget presentations on March 14 & 15, 2022.
• Budget Development Calendar - shows dates of all currently scheduled public meetings.
• Town Council Budget Order - first reading of FY23 Town/School budget passed April 6, 2022.
• School Budget Q&A

Revised FY23 5-Year Capital Plan

At the request of the Town Council, the School Board has updated our FY23 Capital Budget documentation to include the preliminary estimated cost of the upcoming Primary School Building Project in the 5-Year Plan under FY24.

Details can be found here:

• Presentation from the November 17, 2022, School Board meeting
• Revised Capital Budget document

Please note that this revision does not change the approved School Capital Budget for FY23; the new information is provided for strategic planning purposes only.  A refined and detailed Building Project budget will be developed over the next few months as needs analysis and design work continue, and updated information will be communicated throughout the FY24 budget process.

Learn more about the SPS Building Project

---

ARP ESSER Grant Funds

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous federal grants were made available to school districts in Maine, with varying allocations and application requirements.  A comprehensive list of grants received by the Scarborough Schools is provided in the section below and in the FY23 budget book.  As a specific requirement of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant (also known as ESSER 3), we are providing the public with supporting documentation here:

Scarborough Schools ESSER 3 Grant Application Summary - Revised (submitted November 2022)

Scarborough Schools ESSER 3 Grant Application (submitted September 2021)

Scarborough Schools ESSER 3 Grant Application Summary

Standard Operating Protocol for Investigating COVID cases in Maine Schools (Used as the basis for Scarborough's plan for safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services in the fall of 2021.  The district plan for 2021-22 was presented at the School Board workshop on August 19, 2021, and approved by Board vote that evening.)

Discussion of the use of federal COVID-19 relief grants has been a part of the budget development process for FY22 and FY23, and these grants are included in our quarterly financial reports, found both on the Business Office web page and the School Board Finance Committee web page.