$14,490,156 Budget Approved by High School Board
MDI High School Hosts New Narcan Stations and Trains Faculty and Staff
BAR HARBOR—The Mount Desert Island High School Board approved a $14,490,156 budget at its February 12 meeting and also learned that the high school will host NARCAN stations to help with certain drug overdoses.
NARCAN TRAINING AND STATIONS
Any user of illicit drugs, of any age or demographic, is susceptible to overdosing by the use and ingestion of drugs purchased illegally and that risk goes up substantially if those drugs contain Fentanyl.
This, unfortunately but realistically, includes the staff, faculty, and students of MDI High School. In order to be prepared for such an unexpected and possibly tragic event as an overdose at a high school would be, staff at MDI High School received their first training in the use and administration of NARCAN on January 31.
The high school also now has three NARCAN stations around the facility for faster access in the event of an overdose.
Bar Harbor Assistant Fire Chief John Lennon gave a short presentation to the MDI Regional High School Board on February 12 about the NARCAN training that he gave at the high school and frequently gives around the island. He also distributed NARCAN to those attendees who wanted it.
As the frequency of Fentanyl showing up in illicit drugs increases, so does the risk of overdosing. Many recreational and addiction-based users of illegal drugs are being caught unaware of the presence in Fentanyl and overdosing. According to a report released by Maine Governor Janet Mills’ office in February 2023, nearly 80% of the overdose deaths in 2022 were attributed to Fentanyl.
According to Mainedrugdata.org, there were 10,483 drug overdoses in Maine in 2022. Of those, 723 were fatal. During 2,251 of those overdose events, the effects of the overdose were reversed by the administration of NARCAN (naloxone HCL) by community members who were not first responders (EMS or law enforcement). The numbers for 2023 were only slightly better with 9,654 total overdoses, of which 607 were fatal, and 2,042 were community reversals with NARCAN.
Now the high school wants to start offering this training to students. In fact, the State of Maine passed a law that was signed and enacted by Mills on July 27, 2023, saying that schools shall offer this training to secondary students.
Maine statute 6307-A says,
Ҥ6307-A. Naloxone hydrochloride administration instruction
“In accordance with rules adopted by the department, a public school shall offer training to secondary students on how to administer naloxone hydrochloride, as defined in section 6307, subsection 1, paragraph C, in nasal spray form. The rules adopted by the department under this section must provide that the training is an extracurricular instruction, that instruction is delivered by a qualified individual and that the standards for instruction are based on those of a nationally recognized program, organization or agency. Rules adopted under this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.”
HIGH SCHOOL BUDGET
The board also unanimously approved the high school’s 2024-25 budget.
The budget as presented marks a 7.1% ($960,973) increase over last year with the overall budget increasing from $13,529,183 to $14,490,156. The assessment to towns’ portion of the budget climbed from $10,540,101 to $11,369,030 for an increase of 7.86% or $828,929.
Each town’s portion of the high school budget is based upon a formula that uses the town’s assessed value according to the state and the enrollment of students from each town. Based on 100%, the state assessment carries 67% of that weight and the student enrollment of each town carries 33% of that weight.
Below is the breakdown of the towns’ high school budget based upon the formula for the towns.
According to High School Principal Matt Haney, there is one step left in the budget approval process before it moves to individual town ballots.
Haney said, “There's a final step in the budget adoption process, which is a public vote on April 3 at the high school. Voters from the four MDI towns are able to participate in the process. Yes, the budget could be voted down at this meeting, which is why it's important for as many voters as possible to come to have their voices heard in the process.”
This meeting is at 6 p.m. and will take place in the high school theater.
For those of you who would like to pour over the entire high school budget, it is presented below.
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT
The high school held its first building project community forum last Tuesday night and will host a second this evening, February 15. It will begin at 6 p.m., in the library and it will conclude with a tour of the aging science wing whose renovation and updating is a large part of the project.
The building project is estimated to cost approximately $17 million and the cost will be spread across the four island towns. The bond for the project would have to be approved by voters in each of the four towns but not necessarily approved in each town. Meaning, the “yes” votes would have to be greater than the “no” votes as an aggregate of all four town’s voters rather than each individual town.
Oak Point Associates (the engineers/architects for the building project) has also built a public information website for the building project and you may visit that website here.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
https://barharborstory.substack.com/p/first-informational-forum-dates-for
The next meeting of the MDI Regional High School Board will be Monday, March 11, at 5 p.m., in the high school library.
UPCOMING NARCAN TRAININGS – OPEN TO ANYONE
The Bar Harbor Fire Department has two upcoming public NARCAN trainings. The trainings will be given by Deputy Chief John Lennon and will be hosted by the YWCA at 36 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor. The first training is Tuesday, February 27, at 11 a.m. The second training will be Thursday, February 29, at 6 p.m.
Notice: Shaun Farrar is on the Bar Harbor Warrant Committee, which makes recommendations to Council and voters about the budget.