JAY — Regional School Unit 73 Superintendent Scott Albert shared the 2021/2022 budget timeline during the Dec. 10 school board meeting.

Budget books will be available for directors to pick-up Feb. 4.

On Feb. 11, all regular education accounts will be presented during a budget overview meeting. All budget meetings will be at 6 p.m. at the Spruce Mountain Middle School in Jay.

Budget review and revenue sessions will be held Feb. 25 and March 11 with a snow date of March 18, if needed.

The school board will vote March 25 on the budget warrants.

The district budget meeting is scheduled for April 15.

The district budget referendum votes will be held April 27 in the towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls with voting times set by those towns.

The budget process is starting a week later this year, Albert said.

“I’m not sure if we can have a district budget meeting or if it will have to be a district budget hearing again,” he said. “A lot can change between now and April 15, the number of people we’re allowed to have at one sitting.”

It could be a tough year all across the state with the biennial budget this year and next, Albert said.

“They’ve talked anywhere from 2-10% cuts of what the state will give us,” he said. “Last year they gave us $9.3 million. If the cut is 10%, that’s $930,000 less that we’d have to deal with. The next few years could be difficult if we don’t get what we normally get from the state.”