MSAD #58 -– Superintendent Quenten Clark checked in last week with some district news.

Adding to district complexities is an upcoming meeting he’ll have with other superintendents regarding the first wave of curtailments coming our way this year. The meeting will be facilitated by the Maine Department of Education Commissioner Susan Gendron, he said.

Clark estimated that approximately $100 to $200,000 of state subsidy funding will be cut from the district. This is school district revenue that was factored in this year’s currently operating budget. Based on revenue shortfalls, Clark expects that additional announcements of further curtailments will also happen near the end of the budget cycle.

The first wave of cuts, Clark said, they think they can endure. Budgeted and scheduled bus purchases can be postponed, he explained. Additional curtailments later this cycle can be very damaging for the district.

With continued state revenue shortfalls and the threat of a penalty imposed on MSAD #58 for not complying with the consolidation law, Clark said that conversations at upcoming board meetings should be very interesting. When the penalty is imposed, MSAD #58 could be looking at an additional loss of $130,000.

In other news, residents of some district towns might be interested in spikes recently found in state valuations. State valuation plays a role in the state Essential Programs and Services formula for state subsidy and factors in-

to local share. It is also factored into formulas to determine county taxes and ambulance services. Some of our district towns’ valuations have nearly doubled over the past five years, while others towns follow a more steady increase.

In the school formula, the state valuation is used based on the determined valuation amount from two years ago.

Most recently, Kingfield Administrative Assistant Doug Marble has been reviewing Kingfield’s proposed 2010 state valuation coming from the Maine Revenue Service. These figures show a significant spike in valuation.

In 2006 the state had Kingfield valued at $78.2 million. The last school budget factored Kingfield’s 2007 value at $93.25 million. The proposed 2010 figures shows Kingfield valued at $132.8 million.

Eustis has gone from the last school budget valuation factor of $144.65 million to a proposed $166.3 million for 2010. Eustis was at $93.4 million in 2005.

Next year’s school budget will show a $15 million rise in Phillips and a $17.8 million rise in Strong. Another $2.55 million is in the proposed 2010 figures for Phillips set at $78.8 million. Strong follows a similar pattern proposed at $78.45 million for 2010.

Carrabassett Valley has grown from $393 million in 2005 to a proposed $604.4 million for 2010.

Rangeley has also seen a spike rising to a proposed $643.9 from $596.15 from last year.

Other Franklin County towns show a rise this year varying from $2 to $10 million. Farmington has grown from $455.1 last year to $464.15 million.