BY AMY CALDER

Staff Writer

Alternative Organizational Structure 92 School Superintendent Eric Haley has told school administrators not to buy anything without talking with him first.

He also is considering not filling any employee positions that may be vacated during the school year.

This is because Haley estimates Waterville schools will get about $234,343 less in state subsidy than expected for the 2009-10 school year.

"It's very tough," Haley said Thursday. "It's not the first time it's happened. You build a budget and hire people based on revenues. It's getting to the point where we don't even count on what they tell us."

He was referring to state officials who told him in September that he should start planning for "curtailments," or reduced subsidy amounts.

The district includes Waterville, Winslow and Vassalboro.

He estimates Winslow will get $159,549 less than expected and Vassalboro will get $87,242 less than expected.

School officials will not know the exact curtailment amounts for several weeks.

"They can't tell us for sure until legislators convene because they have to approve it," Haley said.

"It's a governor's amended budget, and that requires legislative approval."

To determine approximately how much less subsidy the towns will get for schools, Haley said he takes the amount each town lost last year and multiplies it by 1.4.

Last year, for instance, Waterville got about $167,000 less than expected and, multiplied by 1.4, the total becomes $234,343.

Waterville schools were promised $11.5 million in state subsidy revenues for the 2009-10 school year, according to Haley and schools Finance Director Paula Pooler.

Winslow was promised $7.9 million and Vassalboro, $4.3 million.

Waterville's current school budget, approved this year, is about $20 million; Winslow's is $14.7 million; and Vassalboro's, $7.4 million.

The only recourse Haley has is to freeze budgets to prepare now for the curtailments, according to Pooler.

"You have to look at freezing your budgets so you can make sure you have enough carry-over money on expenditures to make up for the revenues that you're losing," Pooler said.

Lee Cabana, chairman of the Waterville Board of Education, said preparing for curtailments means not being able to plan for projects.

He said he expects the $234,343 curtailment will not be the last of it -- that in the spring, there may be still more cuts.

"Things are not good and revenue is so poor statewide that we're on the list to take cuts, unfortunately," he said.

Cabana said he worries that programs and employees may be affected by further cuts.

"It's very upsetting," he said. "We're hoping not to have to cut teachers, but it could eventually eat into programs."

Haley said the state builds its budget on projected state revenues and when revenues do not support expenditures, cuts are made.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com