Yarmouth School Department’s $44.18 million proposed budget for the next school year marks a $1.93 million, or 4.57%, increase over this year’s budget.
This is significantly smaller than last year’s uptick, which saw a 7.56% rise over the FY25 budget, and from higher hikes in years prior. This change comes as the district responds for the first time to declining enrollment after years of growth.
“This is the 12th budget I have developed for the Yarmouth Schools, and it is by far the most intriguing,” wrote Yarmouth Superintendent Andrew Dolloff in the budget’s introduction.
This is the first time in 17 years that the district’s budget is responding to decreased enrollment, Dolloff said. While the number of students in Yarmouth grew from about 1,400 in 2010 to about 1,700 in 2022, over the past three years, the district has seen steady or slightly smaller enrollment. In line with a statewide trend, Yarmouth schools expect to see this trend of decline continue next year to have fewer than 1,600 students.
Given the smaller number of students, the proposed budget slightly cuts positions, including a teacher and ed tech at Yarmouth High School and a teacher at Harrison Middle School, for a reduced cost of $59,000. A teacher position will be added to Yarmouth Elementary School.
Other student-facing changes in the budget include a $131,000 increase in special education costs, up 1.77% from this year, in response to an increased demand for special instruction for Yarmouth students. While enrollment is declining, the number of students requiring special education has been increasing for the past decade in the district, according to the budget report.
The budget includes several opportunities to seek state funding to support district programs to offset more costs to local taxpayers. Dolloff said district staff created the budget with a mind to financial burdens of Yarmouth residents, including the impacts of the 2025 property revaluation and general rising costs across all economic sectors.
“Sensitivity to that challenge and a desire to maintain the trust of the community moving forward weighed heavily on our minds as we constructed this proposed budget,” wrote Dolloff.
The school budget is ultimately part of the town’s overall budget. After the town and Cumberland County’s budgets present their budgets, the overall impact of the school budget on taxpayers will be determined.
Following the district’s financial committee reviewing comments from the School Committee and making adjustments, the School Committee will read the budget for a second time and plans to adopt it at a March 12 meeting.
The school budget will be presented to Yarmouth Town Council on March 19. The council will read the budget on both April 2 and May 7, with the opportunity for public comment at both meetings. The council is scheduled to adopt the budget at the May 7 meeting.
The public will get the final say on the budget, voting on it at the June 2 town meeting.