ELLSWORTH — The 2024-25 Ellsworth School District budget features an increase in state aid and property tax levy and a decrease in ending fund balance that was planned by the school board.

After ending 2023-24 with an unaudited General Fund (Fund 10) balance of $6.43 million, that number is projected to decrease by $350,000.

“That was actually planned by the board and administration to have that type of spending out of the fund balance to lessen the impact of the operational levy on taxpayers,” Superintendent Brian Nadeau said.

The property tax levy is seeing an increase from $7.39 million to $7.69 million. There are a variety of factors going into the increase including increases to property values and the recently approved referendum kicking in.

General state aid is expected to increase by nearly $200,000 for 2024-25 after an increase of over $600,000 from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The increase does not stem from an enrollment increase, as Nadeau said the district’s largest classes are in the high school.

The referendum projects are currently going out to bid with construction expected to start around January or February.

“We’re kind of in that process where more and more things are going out to bid now up and through probably late November,” Nadeau said.

He added the projected completion is now the fall of 2025 rather than the fall of 2026, which lessens the impact on education, decreases site time for construction which can decrease costs and benefits the district by simply having the project be completed sooner.

The facilities referendum passed in April brought about $25 million worth of proposals to the district, with the largest pieces being $8.5 million toward the high school career technical space additions and remodeling and another $8 million for the middle school systems and tech area. The referendum also included the health and physical education center at the high school, the entryway and lobby at the high school and some of the high school systems including HVAC, plumbing, boiler and electrical.