SOUTHWEST HARBOR — The Pemetic Elementary School Board presented the school’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2024 to the Select Board on Jan. 11. The draft includes an 8.80 percent increase for new staff positions and raises.
Of the $324,508 increase, $273,010 will be raised through property taxes and the rest will come from reserves and capital investment programs.
Increased staff expenditures include a response to intervention (RTI) coordinator and a full-time music teacher. During the meeting, Principal Christine Gray stressed the need for the RTI to help track student progress, saying, “It is really important to intervene when kids are young and get them the help they need.” An RTI coordinator will also help to ease the burden on support staff and aid the transition from online learning to in-person instruction, she said.
Additional increases in the budget include more money allotted for the school’s electric bill and an increase to $125 per day for substitute teachers. That pay hike is the result of a competitive market for substitute teachers throughout the region.
Before the budget is voted on at town meeting in May, it must be approved by the Select Board and adopted to the town warrant.
Piper Curtin covers municipal government in Southwest Harbor and arts for Mount Desert Island. She recently moved to Southwest Harbor after graduating from St. Lawrence University. Piper welcomes tips and story ideas.
