How Trenton Plans to Expand Pre-K and Special Education Services.
Mar 14, 2026
TRENTON— Trenton Elementary School Principal Crystal DaGraca presented the school’s proposed fiscal year 2026/27 budget to the town’s Budget Committee and Select Board, March 3.
The proposed budget increases the town appropriation by $341,220 or 6.66% bringing the total town appropriation to $5,467,648, up from $5,126,428. This equates to a property tax amount of $74.21 per $100,000 valuation.
The total proposed school budget increases to $6,227,040 from $5,942,723. This is a $284,317 or 4.78% increase.
The two largest increases dollar-wise were regular instruction at $144,390 or 5.54% and special education at $140,996 or 8.51%. These two increases were coupled with a decrease in funding carryover of $161,903 or 47.44%.
The state’s reimbursement subsidy of $580,000 was higher than expected by $105,000. The reimbursement cycle is two years behind the current fiscal year and two years ago there was a special education spike so the increased reimbursement matches that spike.
Until schools actually receive the reimbursement amount, they can only estimate what the amount will be. State subsidy includes both regular education and special education and can be as high as 55% of special education expenditures.
According to AOS 91 Business Manager Nancy Thurlow, the subsidy received this year was 50% of special education spending two years ago.
REGULAR INSTRUCTION
A large portion of the increase in this section is due to salary and benefit increases that are contractual. There is also a smaller salary increase that will bring daily substitute pay up to $160 for substitute teachers who are certified teachers such as retired teachers who fill in as subs.
The school is also requesting $8,000 for new art room furniture that would constitute the first step in the art room upgrades. In this FY2026/27 budget cycle, tables would be purchased and chairs purchased the following year.
DaGraca said that she is applying for a grant that may eliminate the funding request in the 2027/28 fiscal year.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Maine is shifting responsibility of special education services for 3-5 year olds from the state’s Child Development Services to local schools. Many 5 year olds already attend pre-K at their local schools and the schools now have to integrate 3 and 4 year olds who have special needs.
According to DaGraca, schools can choose to pick up 4 year olds this FY2026/27 or wait and pick up 3 year olds and 4 year olds next year. There is no choice next year, both 3 and 4 year olds must be picked up. Trenton chose to pick up 4 year olds this year.
If schools choose to integrate 4 year olds this year they can start to receive reimbursement this year for specialized services. The reimbursement for 3 and 4 year olds will be 100% and is separate from the normal special education reimbursement of up to 55% for 5 year olds through seniors in high school.
The services will be “in classroom” at a facility on Avery Lane in Ellsworth at the Aroostook County Action Program (ACAP) facility, which is where Trenton Elementary School’s pre-K is, but Trenton Elementary School has to provide services at that facility for its students. However, kids that require special education services will receive services no matter where they are located even if it is at a paid daycare facility such as Harbor House in Southwest Harbor or Kids’ Corner in Bar Harbor.
For out-of-classroom students (those not attending ACAP), the child may receive services from the special education teacher that works for the school and bill Trenton Elementary School for the services.
“Wherever they receive childcare, we are responsible to offer and provide those services within the setting that we provide for pre-K,” said DaGraca.
DaGraca said that the school will be asking families to enroll their 4 year olds in the schools pre-K program so that they can attend the ACAP location. There are 16 seats in the schools program and not enough 4 year olds to fill those seats, so any seats that still remain after the October 15 cutoff can be filled by 3 year olds if parents would like their child to have the experience and enter the program early.
DaGraca said that the reason that Trenton chooses to utilize the ACAP facility for its pre-K program is that the school does not have the space to host the children, but additionally, it is actually cheaper for the taxpayer. The primary teacher is paid at the ACAP rate rather than the AOS 91 teacher salary and the classroom assistant, which is required to maintain the student to adult ratio mandated by the state, is paid for by ACAP and not the school.
The school budgets $70,000 for the pre-K program but would pay at least $190,000 for salaries and benefits alone if the program was run out of the Trenton Elementary School.
Most of the increases in the special education section are for teacher salaries and benefits, special education needs, and out-of-district placements for special education students.
OTHER COST SECTIONS
Most increases in the remaining sections are due to salary and benefit increases, the AOS pay share, technology licensing, and the proposed addition of a half-time administrative assistant.
Transportation/buses and facilities maintenance both came down with reductions of $126 and $35,824 respectively.
Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach said that for every tax dollar raised, 91 cents of that dollar goes to the school.
Ehrlenbach also said that after entering the proposed school budget into the total proposed municipal budget, the municipal portion of the overall town budget will be .5518 mils or 4.3% of the budget (every tax dollar raised). The county budget portion of the overall town budget will be .6 mils or 4.7% of the budget and the school portion will be 11.657 mils or 91% of the budget.
When asked by Select Board member John Bennett what the current mil rate is for the overall proposed town budget, Ehrlenbach responded that not knowing what the town’s valuation will be as of April 1, but based on the current valuation of $469,038,050, the mil rate is 12.826, a 5.13% increase over last year.
At the end of the presentation, Select Board member Judith Sproule, speaking to DaGraca, said, “I have been to many of these budget (meetings), and I am very impressed with what you have put together. Thank you for doing all that work, because what we haven’t talked about is that these students are the future and it’s important that we give them everything that we can, recognizing that we can’t give them everything, but we need to figure that out.”
Bennett made a motion to support the school budget, it was seconded, and it passed unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS DURING THE MARCH 3 MEETING
The Select Board passed a motion to sign an appointment form for Jacob Wartell to make him an official member of the planning board. The form was signed just after the motion was passed.
Gateway Lobster Pound asked for an upgraded restaurant license to class A restaurant which includes the sale of liquor. The motion was made and passed.
The Select Board also voted to sign two quitclaim deeds to return property to owners after the town had foreclosed on the properties. One property was lot 36 map 21 and the second property was lot 43-009 map 009.
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