By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

South Portland School Superintendent Suzanne Godin plans to present the
proposed 2009 fiscal year budget to the school board and the public at
7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Memorial Middle School Library.

Godin said the city council set a target of a 4.18 percent increase on
needs from taxes. She said the department has yet to learn what next
year’s Essential Programs and Services (EPS) subsidy will be. Due to
the state budget shortfall and changes at the federal level in Medicaid
reimbursement, funding is expected to be drastically reduced, Godin
said.

Following Godin’s initial presentation, budget workshops have been scheduled for Feb. 28, March 3, and March 4.

All of those workshops will take place at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Middle School Library.

The school board is expected to adopt the budget at its March 10
meeting. The city council is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on
the budget on April 2. The meetings will be televised and there will be
an opportunity for the public to comment at each meeting.

A citizen budget validation referendum – required under the new school
consolidation law – is expected to take place in mid-April.

Godin said she also plans to present a “redistricting” plan for the
city’s elementary and middle schools during the Feb. 28 workshop.

“We looked at eight different potential scenarios and are trying to finalize a plan that we will present,” Godin said.

The redistricting process is needed to address changing enrollment
trends, create equity in all five elementary schools and return English
Language Learner (ELL) students to their neighborhood schools, Godin
has said.