The annual Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District Budget Meeting is Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m. in the Boothbay Region Elementary School gym. However, the school charter enacted in October introduced some changes to the process from previous years. These changes have prompted questions from voters about the next steps, including what happens if the almost $13 million budget isn’t approved.

The May 21 meeting will have a familiar format. Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor residents will gather to discuss and vote on warrant articles from the school budget. 

A second vote, the Budget Validation Referendum, is June 11 at the Boothbay Harbor fire station and Boothbay town office. This one-question vote will ask if residents approve the school budget as set at the previous District Budget Meeting. 

What if the budget is not approved? The process would start over and continue until voters pass the budget. According to the district, the school board would adopt a new budget with administrative recommendations, and they would schedule new public hearings. In addition, another District Budget Meeting would be held 10 to 45 days after the previous one. The budget determined at that meeting would go to voters in another Budget Validation Referendum.  

According to the district, if the budget is not approved by the end of June, the last board-approved budget would act as the operational budget until voters approve the new budget; taxes can be committed by the towns on the last operational budget submitted by the school board if a voter-approved budget isn't available by the deadline. 

Copies of the proposed 2024-2025 budget and meeting warrant are available at the Superintendent’s Office, 51 Emery Lane, Boothbay Harbor and at www.aos98schools.org - school board information, or email info@aos98schools.org