Local School Leaders Found

There are generally few opportunities to recognize real community leadership. When it comes to school /community relations, it's often tough. One local school district, SAD 4, has been referred to as an example of a progressive, yet economical model.

One example of their sensitivity to their communities' concerns is that the Board and Superintendent of SAD 4 returned $100,000 in unexpected revenues to reduce the local assessments of tax dollars. Just days before the District was to adopt its' budget, a Bangor Daily News report stated "(excerpt) SAD 4 Superintendent Paul Stearns said late Friday afternoon that the district received about $100,000 more in revenues than were originally anticipated. He said about half of the revenues were Medicaid payments that school officials were not sure would be paid this year or next. He said it initially had appeared the district would have about $200,000 in unanticipated carryover [or surplus] when in fact it will have about $300,000.

"We felt the prudent thing to do was to reduce the carryover by $100,000 and lower the tax rate," Stearns said of reducing the local additional funds, which are raised through property taxes without a state match. "We just feel the right thing to do is to use that to lower the tax assessment."

At the SAD 4 District Budget Meeting, an amendment was proposed and the $100,000 was used to reduce the local assessments, true to their word.

I hope this is the sort of leadership we can expect in Region 18!