MSAD 12 School District Budget Validation Referendum Questions and What They Mean to You! J
There will be two referendum questions related to the MSAD 12 Budget on June 8. The purpose of this summary is to make sure that individuals understand what these two questions are asking and what the impacts of your votes will be to the school district itself.
Question #1: The Budget Validation Approval Question:
This will read as follows:
“Do you favor approving the MSAD 12 budget for the upcoming school year that was adopted at the MSAD 12 District budget meeting that includes raised funds that exceed the required local contribution as described in the Essential Programs and Services Funding Act?”
Yes. . . . . . . . . No
A YES vote allows additional funds to be raised for K-12 public education.
A NO vote means additional funds cannot be raised for K-12 public education.
If the majority of voters in the towns of Moose River and Jackman vote “Yes” then the budget that was passed at the District budget meeting on May 27 will be “validated” and finally approved by voters to move forward.
If the majority of voters in the towns of Moose River and Jackman vote “No” then the budget that was passed at the District budget meeting on May 27 will NOT BE “Validated”. This would force the MSAD 12 Board to go “back to the drawing board” and to revise the proposed budget in a way that they feel will meet the public’s approval. Once revised, the Board would then have to host a repeat District Budget meeting to pass the School’s Budget articles AND the Towns of Moose River and Jackman would have to hold another repeat validation referendum vote to validate said revised budget. This process would be repeated until a budget has been approved by the School Board, approved by voters at a district budget meeting AND approved by voters through a budget validation referendum. Please keep in mind that referendums are not free and each time a referendum is held, it is costing your Town time and money.
Question #2: Continuation of the Validation Process Question:
This question will read as follows:
“Do you wish to continue the budget validation referendum process in MSAD 12 for an additional three years?”
Yes. . . . . . . . . . No
A YES vote will require MSAD 12 to continue to conduct a referendum to validate its annual school budget for the next three years.
A NO vote will discontinue the budget validation referendum for at least three years and provide instead that the annual school budget shall be finally adopted at Town Meeting.
In reality then, a “yes” vote will continue the process of having to validate a district budget each year through referendum and a “no” vote will return the communities of Moose River and Jackman to the “old method” of simply approving the school budget at the district budget meeting without need of an additional step to validate.
In closing – PLEASE GET OUT TO VOTE ON JUNE 8 AT YOUR TOWN’S POLLING PLACES! If you have any specific questions about your budget, please feel free to give either myself a call at 695-3708 or Mrs. Plante a call at 668-7749.
Thank you! J