Newest draft whittles town’s share to a $504k increase.

Carrie Jones

Jan 10, 2026

SOUTHWEST HARBOR—In one of many meetings about the town’s municipal and school budgets, the town’s school committee and select board sat together in the Pemetic School Library, gathered around tables pushed together and a long bench and talked budget.

Between January 12 and January 22 the select board has six budget meetings scheduled.

The school board usually votes on its budget in mid-February. It is then placed on the town warrant in March by the select board.

The school budget is not yet set in stone. The current draft budget has an increase of 10.7% from the town of $5,216,082. This is approximately $1 million more than in 2024-2025.

The total budget is currently almost $5.9 million, an increase of 7.13%.

The largest percentage increase is in special education services despite the reduction of one ed tech position and system administration, which is the AOS budget that all schools pay into. Because of the funding formula for that, Southwest Harbor’s share of the overall school system budget increases by .39% to $143,201.

How much the town will receive from the state is an estimate. That’s called the state subsidy. Insurance costs are also not completely finalized.

Budgets for schools are made up mostly of salary and benefits. Regular instruction costs are approximately $2.3 million.

There’s also an AOS allocation for Southwest Harbor. The other portion of the budget is about upkeep and supplies.

Transportation and busing decreases overall. Food service is flat funded.

In an attempt to lower the budget, sections whittled included lines used for maintenance and upkeep projects on the large building. That money covers things like newer windows, water infiltration, roofs, windows, and doors.

“We’re trying our best to be thoughtful but also to recognize that we’re taking care of an older building,” School Superintendent Mike Zboray said.

“The buildings thing worries me is a slippery slope,” Southwest Harbor School Committee Vice Chair Susan Allen said. “This … It makes me nervous.”

It was the second draft of the school budget.

The budget’s first draft showed a 12% increase to the town’s appropriations. Now, it’s a 10.7% increase for taxpayers.

Going into this year, teachers were getting a 8.2% salary increase. There will be contract negotiations again this spring.

“This year one of the unknowns for us” is insurance cost and usage, Zboray said. The health insurance usage is a little higher.

Another change is that the town will no longer support the plowing of the back lot and horseshoe parking area, Zboray said. So, they’ve added $20,000 into the school budget to cover those costs.

Allen wondered if it was appropriate to shift the financial burden of plowing to the school.

Southwest Harbor Town Manager Karen Reddersen said there are only two people currently in the town’s public works department and they didn’t have the capacity to do the back lot and horseshoe area. They can still sand and salt, but not plow and get the 13 miles of town roads done as well.

“What changed in December?” Allen asked.

“It’s been challenging to get that third person and we just don’t have that,” Reddersen said of the public works staff.

The change came as a bit of a surprise to the committee members.

“If we have to vend it out, to me, it should be carried by the town, not the school budget,” school committee member Clifford Noyes said.

“Bottom line to the taxpayer, it comes from the same place,” Selectman Dan Norwood said.

Select board member Natasha Johnson advocated thinking out of the box and using staff from the Coast Guard base to potentially help with substitute teaching (and lowering costs) or plowing.

Allen also spoke to finding ways to help support teachers who are supplying their own classrooms out of their own pockets.

“It shouldn’t be their burden to have supplies to care for our children,” she said.

Principal Carolyn Todd said there have been a lot of donations this year from the parent-teacher organization as well as the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club.

“You’re right. We are sort of nickel-and-diming our teachers,” Todd said.

“If it’s something that is a standard item in our building, it should be in our budget,” Allen said.

Both Allen and Select Board Chair Noah Burby said they’d be interested in seeing how much teachers spend of their own money to keep their classroom supplied with things like tissues, erasers, pencils and other needs.

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Photos: Carrie Jones/Bar Harbor Story

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LINKS TO LEARN MORE

Dates to remember:

PTO Meeting Wednesday, January 14 @ 5 pm

NO SCHOOL Monday January 19

Early Release Day Thursday January 22

NO SCHOOL Friday January 23

The Care Closet is a FREE resource for any student who needs hygiene items, meal options, or school snacks. We have a wide variety of supplies – hair elastics, fingernail clippers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, and so much more. If your child needs any of these items, please reach out to Kristy Smith (Front Office) at kristy.smith@mdirss.org or Sonja Philbrook (Health and Special Education Teacher) at sphilbrook@mdirss.org, or Jesse Field (Guidance Counselor) jesse.field@mdirss.org or your child’s classroom teacher.

The Closet is fully funded by donations. If you would like to support it you can make a monetary donation, or view our wish lists (Amazon and Walmart) to see what items we currently need.

Thank you to everyone who has donated over the last two years!

The Pemetic PTO is always looking for new members and volunteers please reach out to the PTO President Emma Johnson at pemeticptopresident@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out.

​SOUTHWEST HARBOR BUDGET MEETINGS

Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Monday, January 12, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

​Select Board Meeting
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom / Packet

​Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

​Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

​Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

​Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Tuesday, January 21, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

​Select Board Meeting – Budget Meeting
Wednesday, January 22, 2026
Town Office
6:00 pm
Agenda / Zoom

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