BELFAST – The Regional School Unit 20 Board of Directors met on Thursday for the first time since the district's 2013-14 budget was rejected by voters in all of its eight municipalities. Several members of the public addressed the board with their opinions about the budget and at least one director brought up the topic, but there was no discussion by the board.

Chairman Anthony Bagley stopped the conversation noting that the budget revisions would have to follow the same steps as the original budget, starting with the board's finanace committee. The finance committee, was scheduled to hold a regular meeting that night but had been unable to make quorum due to the absence of finance director Gerald Reid of Northport.

The budget, however, was not on the agenda for Thursday, according to Assistant Superintendent John McDonald, who said a separate set of budget-related meetings of the committee had yet to be scheduled.

Reid did not seek re-election in his town's June 1 municipal elections. His term is slated to expired July 1 at which point David Ferguson will replace him on the board.

Superintendent Brian Carpenter was also absent Thursday night, reportedly due to illness.

Under state statute, the board has 45 days after the June 11 budget validation referendum to vote on a revised budget, which would then go before voters at a public budget meeting and subsequent validation referendum. Bagley described the the steps as identical to those used for the original budget deliberations in January.

Asked what the approach to revising the budget might be, Bagley and Assistant Superintendent John McDonald said those considerations would be taken up first by the finance committee.

Bagley noted that the district's bottom line has decreased in recent years, even as the local share has gone up. Cuts previously proposed for the 2013-14 budget —  these included a contentious proposal to eliminate a number of staff positions in addition to numerous smaller line items — came in response to a loss of funding from the state, he said.

McDonald agreed, and cited the additional uncertainty of the state's contribution in the coming year

"It would be helpful if the state passed its budget so we know what our revenues are going to be," he said. 

The Maine legislature passed a $6.3 billion, two-year budget on Thursday after a lengthy gridlock. Gov. Paul LePage has threatened to veto the budget.

"We'll see," McDonald said on Friday morning.

The board on Thursday approved a proposal by majority vote to hold fewer regular meetings in the coming year. The proposal was made on the basis of the sometimes spare agendas of the current twice-monthly meeting schedule. Under the new schedule the board will meet once a month except during the spring budget season, when meetings will be held twice a month.

The RSU 20 regular board holds its next regular meeting July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Belfast Area High School band room. June 25, at Searsport District Middle/High School, 6:30 p.m.   ____________________________________________________________

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com