From the Superintendent
This is the second part in a short series about the 2026-27 budget. To recap last week's information about expenditures, after $1.16 million in adjustments (mostly reductions) were made to my initial budget proposal, a total budget increase of 5.46% is now ready to be decided by voters at the district budget being held this Thursday evening @ 7pm in the Greely Center for the Arts. All registered voters in Cumberland and North Yarmouth are invited to attend and vote at this meeting.
Due to uncalculated property growth in both towns, the tax effect is preliminary only at this point in the budget process. As an early estimate, the tax effect in Cumberland would be 5.16% and in North Yarmouth it would be 5.79%.
Please note that once new property growth is factored in, both tax rates are expected to be lower than these estimates.
What does the estimated property tax effect actually mean? Property taxes in Maine are derived using what is called a mil rate. The mil rate is the dollars/cents calculated per $1,000 of assessed property value.
For the proposed 2026-27 school budget, in Cumberland the mil rate increase is proposed at $1.30, raising $130 more for each $100,000 of assessed property value per year to support education. In North Yarmouth, the mil rate increase is proposed at $1.20, raising $120 more for each $100,000 of assessed property value per year to support education. As an example, for a home assessed at $500,000, in Cumberland the property tax increase for schools would be $650 annually, or $54/month, and in North Yarmouth the increase would be $600 annually, or $50/month. Again, these are early estimates and both towns are expected to see a lower tax effect at the end of the process.
At Thursday's district budget meeting, registered voters from Cumberland and North Yarmouth will gather to vote on the budget, article by article. This is a town meeting-style proceeding - you can speak, make motions, and vote. The amount in each article can be amended up or down by the voters present at this meeting. Whatever budget comes out of this meeting is the one sent to voters for approval at the polls on June 9.
On an unrelated note, as a follow-up to the safety alert that occurred on May 1, please view this brief video message: https://youtu.be/v4TcgIOQDzA
Regards,
Jeff Porter 
Staff Appreciation Week is officially here, and the Greely PTO has brought back a fan favorite!
Notices from the Office of the Superintendent
Hard Hat Chats
Episode #3 - Architecture was just released. Check it out: https://youtu.be/036Rncplg_I
In case you missed the previous two episodes you can find them below:
Episode # 2 - Update on Mabel I Wilson School Construction
Episode # 1 - Concrete & Earthwork
Good News Greely
Check out the latest issue of Good News Greely. Don't forget you can find copies of these at the Cumberland Town Office, Prince Memorial Library, Food Stop, North Yarmouth Town Office & North Yarmouth Variety. 
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MSAD #51 Board of Directors Information
All meetings will take place at 6:00 pm in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. For those of you unfamiliar with that room, the Gyger Room can be accessed from the GHS parking lot (the side without the electronic sign).
May 7- District Budget Meeting
Letter from the MSAD #51 Board of Directors
Hello fellow members of MSAD #51,
It’s mid-spring in Maine which means lots of decisions to be made: how many layers to wear to the little league game, when and whether to mow the lawn, and of course what we will be voting on at the upcoming District Budget Meeting next Thursday, May 7th at 7pm in the Greely Center for the Arts. We can’t help with the weather-related decisions, but we are here to offer some resources and information so that your decision about the School Budget can be a little easier!
As a reminder, voters from both Cumberland and North Yarmouth will gather at this annual meeting to vote on the various warrants for the upcoming Fiscal Year Budget, including the State-required Cost Centers. These warrants were approved by the Board of Directors at our April 15th meeting, after many months of the Finance Committee working to discern what the needs of our district are for the 2026-2027 fiscal year (and the next few years). Those needs were presented to the Committee following multiple sessions between the District Leadership Team and Department Heads with their staff, and then between those Leaders and our Superintendent, Jeff Porter, and our Director of Finance, HR, and Operations, Scott Poulin.
To build the Budget we started with Cost Center 10, our debt service. For FY26-27 the District is taking on the first installments of the bond payments for the One Campus Project, which was approved by voters two years ago and is well underway. This year our debt service is increasing by $666,574, or 1.24% of our current FY25-26 Budget.
The next step was to examine the salaries and benefits of all teachers and staff to determine each person’s contractual increases, including anticipated health insurance costs. These are bound by the collective bargaining agreements and had to be calculated for each and every staff member by the District Accounting Office. At the same time, the School Principals were working with Superintendent Porter on projected enrollment and class sizes. This allowed for discernment as to whether new positions need to be created, or existing positions shifted. Because of our unique situation being a district that is experiencing enrollment increases, there are no recommendations for reductions in current staff.
While that process was happening, the Finance Committee was deliberating on new proposals which the District Leadership Team felt are needed for the upcoming school year (and beyond). The Committee made its recommendations to Superintendent Porter, who was then able to plug it all in and create his Budget Proposal. The Board then had its first of two workshops, during which it was decided that the Finance Committee would reconvene to reduce the increase in proposed operating expenses, charging the committee with keeping the total Budget increase closer to 6% instead of the proposed 7.7%. The Committee worked with Superintendent Porter to decide what those cuts could be, and the Board held its second workshop to discuss the options, ultimately voting to approve a Budget of $56,767,888, which is a total increase of 5.46% (again, including the new debt service).
The Board, which is composed of taxpayers like yourself, believes that this is a responsible budget which meets the needs of our growing district and addresses the rises in healthcare and energy costs while also being prudent in what taxpayers can afford. It is both needs-based and forward-thinking as we consider the next few years. The increase in operating expenses (in other words, not including the One Campus Debt Service) has been held to 4.22%, which puts our District well below the majority of our neighbors, many of whom are at 6% or more.
And now, it's your turn to vote and decide whether the district should be funded according to this proposed budget, or not. Yes, this meeting does require in-person attendance and that means giving up a portion of your evening. We are asking you to please make that choice to be present and vote for what amounts you believe the district should invest in our students.
As you have probably noticed, we have been including various links throughout this letter. We strongly encourage you to take some time before May 7th to watch some of the budget workshops and presentations as well as familiarizing yourself with the budget itself. We are here to answer any questions you might have so please email Leanne or Kim; we are eager to talk with you! We also want to publicly thank the members of the Finance Committee and Accounting Department for the many hours that this process requires, the District office for putting together this very informative Budget Brochure, and the members of the community who have attended meetings and offered their insights. We are so grateful to both live in and serve a District that values the public education of all our students.
Working with and for you,
Leanne Candura Kim Vine
Board Chair Board Vice-Chair and Finance Committee Chair
Remember you can watch our meetings on YouTube LIVE (http://bit.ly/msad51livevideo)
Committee meetings this week:
May 4 - Early Childhood Special Education Committee
May 5 - Curriculum Committee
May 5 - Policy Committee
Links
Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting Videos
Budget Information 2026-27
Detailed budget information can be found on the District's website at: https://www.msad51.org/
Community Partners
Our Community Partners are strong supporters of various areas of the school. Without them, our students would not have many of the wonderful opportunities and experiences that they receive.
Useful Links
Greely Center for the Arts Events
If you would like something included in our weekly newsletter, please send a brief write up with title along with a JPEG or PNG image of your flyer (if applicable) to Melissa Porter for approval. The deadline each week is Wednesday. Any requests received after Wednesday will be reviewed for possible submission in the following week's newsletter. All approved submissions will be posted on the district's website.
Not all items in this email are MSAD #51 sponsored programs. If you need more information, please contact the group or organization that is sponsoring the event.
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