BATH

Audience members were few in number as the Regional School Unit 1 board reviewed a $28.3 million spending plan for fiscal year 2016-17 on Monday at a public forum.

RSU 1 Business Manager Debra Clark said recent changes to the budget include a decrease of about $10,150, which reflects an increased music program and a half-time STEAM teacher at Morse High School.

Overall, total expenses reflect a 3.40 percent increase, while the local contribution carries a 3.44 percent increase.

“Based upon our cost-sharing formula, most of that is driven by resident student enrollment,” Clark said.

According to the proposed budget, the town of Arrowsic’s local share will increase from $452,468 to $507,984, which reflects an increase of $55,516 or 12.27 percent. The town’s tax rate of $5.31 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 75 cents to $6.06 this year, or 14.1 percent. The cost to the property owner with a home assessed at $100,000 would be $605.82 with an increase of $74.86 from the 2015-16 budget.

For the city of Bath, its local share will increase from $9.38 million to $9.70 million, which reflects an increase of $323,854 or 3.45 percent. The city’s tax rate of $10.49 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 43 cents to $10.92 this year, or 4.1 percent. The cost to the property owner with a home assessed at $100,000 would be $1,092.24, with an increase of $43.13 from the 2015-16 budget.

For the town of Phippsburg, its local share will increase from $2.96 million to $3.01 million, which reflects an increase of $50,604 or 1.71 percent. The town’s tax rate of $4.79 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 6 cents to $4.85 this year, or 1.3 percent. The cost to the property owner with a home assessed at $100,000 would be $485.26, with an increase of $5.83 from the 2015-16 budget.

The town of Woolwich’s local share will increase from $3.75 million to $3.89 million, which reflects an increase of $139,236 or 3.72 percent. The town’s tax rate of $10.19 per $1,000 of assessed value would increase by 48 cents to $10.67 this year, or 4.7 percent. The cost to the property owner with a home assessed at $100,000 would be $1,067.01, with an increase of $48.03 from the 2015-16 budget.

Board members also discussed the possibility of adding a lacrosse program at Bath Middle School at the suggestion of Linda Levesque, a girls’ lacrosse coach at Morse.

While the city’s recreation department currently hosts a lacrosse program for seventh and eighth graders, due to the loss of a grant from Dick’s Sporting Goods and fee increases for students, Levesque, Scott Walker and Dane Dwyer, athletic directors at Morse and BMS, respectively, recommended that the board consider adopting it as a school sport.

“They’re getting to the point now where each player needs to pay $100 plus all their own equipment for no transportation, volunteer coaches, playing other club teams … and the rec is looking at increasing that fee,” Levesque said. “There are kids now that are not playing because they have to pay that amount.”

Parents, community members and students also spoke in favor of implementing a school program.

With the cost of stipends, officials, supplies — including uniforms and balls — and transportation to games, Superintendent Patrick Manuel estimated that costs could amount to about $9,000 to $10,000 to start a boys and girls lacrosse team at BMS.

Board member Bill Perkins, who was “heavily in favor” of adding the program, noted that he would like to support the program, but “I’d like to support it for slightly less.”

Overall, board members were in favor of giving the plan some thought and review.

“Sports are an important part of the education process for kids, but I would hope we can look inside the athletic budget for some of the dollars that might cost to support this program,” said board member Steve August. “I would love to include lacrosse, I’d love to include that portion of an additional nursing position and I’d like to include robotics. If we can see our way clear to do two or three things as we finalize this budget, that makes sense. For us to set up another athletic activity without something coming out of the athletic budget, it’s a tough one for me.”