The budget making process for School Administrative District 28 (Camden and Rockport, K-8) and the Five Town Community School District (Camden Hills Regional High School) is even more challenging this year than has recently been the case. Why? In no small measure, because of financial pressures put on all public budgets by "outside forces."

Were the figures now in place in the schools budgeting process to constitute the final budgets (which will not be the case), SAD 28 would require $824,000 (+7.46 percent) more taxpayer dollars to fund the 2013-14 fiscal year budget and the CSD (Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport) would require an additional $600,000 (+6.42 percent). Those figures total $1.42 million more property tax dollars from taxpayers of the constituent towns. Given the heavy financial pressures on our towns and on taxpayers, these figures must be significantly reduced.

In recent years, some schools expenses have been cut. That the amount of money required from taxpayers to fund previous budgets has continued to increase has had to do in part with reductions in State funding. The Governor's proposed state budget would do nothing to alleviate that situation. In fact, it would make it worse. The Governor is proposing:

• That the state funding curtailment put in place in January, that has cost our schools almost $267,000 in this fiscal year, remain in place in the coming fiscal year.

• That school districts be required to fund 50 percent of what has been the state portion of the teacher retirement plan, which funding shift will cost the CSD $122,000 and SAD 28 $146,000.

• Finally, The Mid-Coast School of Technology is seeking another $40,000 from the CSD, adding to the already very high cost of this program (on a cost/student basis) to the CSD.

As if the foregoing projected financial pressures on taxpayers were not enough, the state is proposing certain changes in other tax programs that will put increased burden on our towns and in turn on the taxpayers. Those proposed changes include:

• Eliminating the Homestead Exemption for residents under 65 years of age. According to town officials of, for example, Rockport, were this change to be enacted, it would cost Rockport taxpayers $120,826.

• This change would also reduce the reimbursement to towns for unrealized tax revenues resulting from the Homestead exemption, meaning that towns must find other funds to replace that lost reimbursement.

• It has been proposed that Revenue Sharing be eliminated. Were this cut to be enacted it would, for example, cost the town of Rockport $181,606, which again must be made up... from the taxpayers.

Adding to this difficult picture are increases in federal taxes to pay for "Obamacare" and to avoid the "Fiscal Cliff": Some taxpayers will be unaffected by some of these federal tax law changes, but none will escape them all. And for some, the combination of tax increases will be significant.

Why do I outline the above unpleasant figures? I do so because in one year all these entities seek to, or are now, extracting more money from already, in many cases, strapped taxpayers. As Citizens for Value In Education ("VIE") has now been saying for several years: The well for additional property tax dollars to increase funding for our schools is dry. That has never been truer than in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

The schools are working to find ways to reduce the potential property tax increase in 2013-14. The schools administration and the schools boards must be "encouraged" in this effort. A goal of no more than a 2 percent increase in the burden on taxpayers has been set by the CSD. The objective at SAD 28 is something no greater than 3-plus percent. These goals must be achieved or beaten.

Given the cuts that have been made in the last several years, these goals are unlikely to be achieved simply by further cutting, without sacrificing the quality of educational offerings. The mantra of VIE has been and remains, "the best possible education at the lowest possible cost." Achieving that objective in this environment will require innovative approaches to the budgets for the coming year. The schools cannot merely do as they have been doing; change is required to maintain quality and to minimize cost.

For your further information: These topics will be the subject of the VIE meeting on Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m. in the Select Board Meeting Room of the Rockport Opera House. This meeting will be an excellent opportunity to comment upon and makes suggestions with regard to this schools budget process.

Alexander Armentrout, for VIE (Citizens for Value In Education), lives in Rockport.