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Increases to staff salaries and benefits, new teaching positions, and other improvements are driving up the Bangor School Department’s budget nearly $3 million for the next school year. The Bangor School Committee gave final approval to a $62.3 million budget during a meeting on Wednesday.
The spending plan is $2.8 million — or 4.7 percent — higher than last year and will support Bangor’s schools from Oct.
1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026. Roughly $26.
8 million is allocated to regular instruction, which is $1.4 million more than last year. That boost is primarily due to increases to teacher salaries and benefits, though other expenses like classroom supplies add to the hike.
Together, staff salaries and stipends make up nearly $36.8 million of the budget, which is an increase of $786,000, or 2.2 percent, over last year, according to budget documents.
The portion of the budget that funds educator benefits, including health insurance and retirement, increased by nearly $824,000 in the new budget. The $12.3 million special education portion of the budget received a roughly $376,000 bump, which stems from paying tuition to other schools as well as speech and psychological services that are now contracted.
Another $282,000 of the budget increase will go toward four new positions across the school department, including an assistant athletic director for Bangor’s middle schools and a new first grade teacher at Vine Street School. The $6.6 million facilities maintenance portion of the spending plan, which makes up 10.
6 percent of the school department’s new budget, also received a more than $551,000 increase from last year. That 9 percent bump is tied to pay and benefits increases and minor capital improvements, such as new playground equipment and paving. While the school department’s budget is finalized, the impact to Bangor residents’ property taxes won’t be known until the city and county finalize their respective budgets.
Additionally, Bangor is in the midst of a citywide revaluation that could change what residents pay in taxes. Bangor’s current property tax rate is $18.55 per $1,000 of valuation.
This means that a home valued at $300,000 will receive a $5,565 tax bill. More articles from the BDN.
