Guide the Budget Process

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ACTION: Press for greater analysis of the school budget - over 70% of Falmouth's municipal budget.

 Observations from (all) School Board finance committee and other budget-related meetings for the FY 2025:

• No probing questions 
• No requests for analysis 
• No drill down into ME DOE Essential Programs and Services formula 
• No metrics comparing equivalent school districts

No appetite by Council to parse budget despite Town Charter (Section V) authorizing Council to pass it "with or without amendment."

ACTION: Evaluate bringing Falmouth cost per student (11% higher) in line with comparable districts.

• MSAD 51 - most comparable district - spent $2100 less per studentin FY23. (Source: ME DOE FY23 ED 279 reports).
• Budgeting at a comparable level,  Falmouth would have saved $4.2M in FY23.
• A Falmouth councilor's analysis using FY25 figures projected a $5.7M reduction in the FY25 budget.
• MSAD 51 received a 50% state contribution per ME DOE 2023 ED 279 report; Falmouth received 33%. 
• For Falmouth's FY 2025 budget each additional 1% under the EPS formula equates to $500,000 more state funding. 

ACTION:  Start now to align the FY 2026  budget with funding a new middle school.

•  Falmouth FY25 student/teacher ratio is 11.7 compared to MSAD 51's 13.7. 
• With 82% of Falmouth's budget supporting personnel costs and benefits,and with a majority of staff in instructional roles, why such disparity between comparable systems with equivalent standardized test scores?
• The EPS program specifies student-staff ratios and Falmouth is highest among comparable districts - Cape Elizabeth and MSAD 51. 
• Can the EPS matrix be modeled and adjustments made  to reduce the local contribution for FY 26?