Joint Town Council and School Board Budget Workshop - November 6, 2025

This was the second annual joint workshop between the Brunswick Town Council and School Board, held on November 6, 2025, to discuss the budget process, review progress from the previous year, and generate new ideas for collaboration. The meeting was facilitated by Liz Hertz and included presentations from the Town Manager, Superintendent, and councilors on budget parameters, survey results, and topics such as long-term planning, aspirational tax targets, and transparency.

Budget Process Overview

• Town Manager Julia Henzi explained the legal framework: Maine statute (MRSA Title 20A) and the Brunswick Town Charter define the roles of the council (determines total school budget amount) and the school board (directs expenditure of those funds). She outlined the annual budget cycle, including capital improvement planning (CIP) and the timeline for budget adoption and the school budget referendum.
• School Board Finance Committee (Beth Bison) described how the school board's finance/human resources committee works, and noted that CIP for facilities goes to a separate facilities committee.

Budget Process Survey Results

• Councilor Nathan McDonald presented survey responses from council and school board members about the previous year's process. Positive feedback included early coordination, leadership meetings, and council attendance at school board sessions. Challenges included a desire for more detailed financial information from the school department, concerns about audit delays, and interest in more structured updates. A recurring suggestion was to establish standing joint meetings.

Discussion on Long-Term Joint Budget Planning

• The group revisited the idea of long-term joint budget planning using the CIP model. The town currently has a five-year capital improvement plan and a five-year operational planning model. The school department participates in the town's CIP process, submitting projects for funding. Superintendent Phil Potenziano noted that the school board has its own CIP and that projects not funded by the town are either deferred or included in the school budget.
• Councilor Steve Wiens raised the value of integrating both municipal and school capital projects into a single comprehensive CIP for better planning. The discussion highlighted the need for long-term enrollment projections and addressing major facility needs like the high school roof and junior high school.

Aspirational Tax Rate Target Debate

• Beth Bison led the discussion on setting an aspirational tax impact target. She noted that in the past two years, a target of no more than 3% total tax impact was met, but that further reductions would cut into programs. She expressed caution due to significant uncertainties from federal and state funding, rising health insurance costs, and student enrollment changes.
• Councilor Nathan McDonald suggested a baseline budget with contingency plans (Plan B, Plan C) for potential shortfalls. Councilor Steve Wiens emphasized the importance of having some target, even with uncertainties, and called for enhanced long-range operational planning.
• School board members noted that long-term operational planning is difficult due to variable student needs and mandates. They supported the idea of an economic growth study to inform population and facility planning.

Transparency and Public Communication

• The group discussed improving public access to budget information. The superintendent demonstrated the school department's website, which includes a budget link, FAQs, and a public data dashboard. Suggestions included adding a link from the town website to the school budget page, creating a social media campaign, and producing a budget-focused podcast or video.
• Councilor Sandy Upstill proposed a "must-watch TV" approach for the budget driver workshop to engage the public early. Councilor Jen Hicks raised the need to communicate clearly about potential federal funding cuts as soon as information is available.

New Ideas for Improving Collaboration

• Councilor Steve Wiens suggested a joint finance committee meeting once a year to discuss detailed issues like audits, CIP, and debt management.
• Councilor Nathan McDonald proposed a rapid communication channel through leadership to update both bodies on federal funding developments.
• School board member Beth Bison advocated for creating an endowment for education to shield taxpayers from fluctuations and stabilize funding.
• Councilor Matt Shedd called for a sustained joint long-term planning mechanism, using the town's operational model, to perform sensitivity analysis on future capital projects.
• Several participants reiterated the value of the aspirational tax target (with an asterisk for uncertainty) and of continued cross-attendance at meetings.

Key Outcomes

• Leadership teams will compile notes from the meeting and distribute them to all members to guide future work.
• The group agreed to continue the joint workshop as an institutionalized annual event.
• There was consensus to explore more frequent communication between finance committees and to consider a joint meeting to discuss specific financial topics.
• The school department will examine adding a direct link to the town budget page, and the town will ensure school budget information is easily accessible during the budget season.
• The idea of a budget podcast or video tutorial to walk citizens through finding budget data was positively received, with the superintendent indicating interest in producing one.
• No formal votes were taken; the workshop was informational and idea-generating.