MSAD 75 budget wins voter approval, tax rates set to rise

Voters in Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham backed MSAD 75’s $61.2 million school budget, clearing the way for higher property taxes and a spending plan built around staffing, insurance and school safety. The budget passed 5,160 to 1,678 in the June 9 referendum, and a separate renovation question also won.

The result gives the district a clear mandate after months of budget work. The MSAD 75 School Board approved the final $61.2 million plan on April 10, trimming it from a $61.4 million draft. District officials said the spending plan would require about $37.6 million from local taxes if approved as presented, and that the four towns would need to raise roughly $3 million more than in the previous year.

The tax impact will not be evenly felt. The district expects the budget to raise taxes by about 9% in Topsham, 6% in Harpswell, nearly 10% in Bowdoinham and just under 11% in Bowdoin. To ease the blow, MSAD 75 said it will use $1.5 million from its fund balance. Even with that offset, the budget still reflects the same pressure district leaders have described for months: staff salaries and health insurance costs are driving much of the increase, along with regular instruction and special education.

Superintendent Heidi O’Leary told the finance committee in March that health insurance premiums were expected to rise nearly 14% in the coming fiscal year. The district also serves a student body with a higher-than-average need for specialized services, with about 25% of students receiving special education services, compared with the state average of 20.4%. That helps explain why the plan includes two new nurses, which would put a nurse in each of the district’s seven schools, and $250,000 for cameras and security systems in school buildings.

The ballot also sent money toward a smaller capital project. The renovation referendum passed 2,549 to 486, with 57 blanks, allowing the district to issue about $100,000 in bonds through the state School Revolving Renovation Fund Program for an accessible bathroom at Bowdoin Central School. Together, the two yes votes show that residents were willing to support both the operating budget and a targeted facilities upgrade.

Turnout was substantial, with 7,722 ballots cast across the MSAD 75 vote. The district’s 14-member school board is apportioned by town population, with Topsham holding six seats, Harpswell four, and Bowdoin and Bowdoinham two each. The approval also lands after a longer facilities debate, including nine options the district proposed in September 2025 to address repairs and accessibility needs at aging schools, among them Harpswell Community School.