District overview
Northport Public Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How does a one-school town district pay for itself?
Northport Public Schools is the Town of Northport's school department in Waldo County, Maine. It runs one school, Edna Drinkwater School (Pre-K through grade 8, about 93 students). A three-member elected School Committee, chaired by Mark Lynch, oversees it. The superintendent and principal run the school day to day. Money comes from Maine's Essential Programs and Services (EPS) formula and from local property taxes, and town voters approve the school budget at the annual town meeting in June. The committee then confirms the budget at a meeting right after.
State share
In March 2026 the superintendent said the state plans to pay 55% of school budgets. In April 2026 lawmakers approved LD 2226, a change to the EPS formula. How much of Northport's budget the state pays is not in the posted records.
Town vote
The 2026-27 budget was set for committee approval on June 15, 2026, right after the town meeting. No budget totals are posted.
Cost pressures
The bus contract quote rose about $20,000 to $150,000. Gym floor work (about $9,000) and network wiring (about $5,000) were also planned.
Staffing changes
The full-time PE/technology teacher job was cut and replaced with a 0.4 PE job and part-time tech support. A 2026-2029 teacher contract was approved in March 2026.
Federal money (Title I, IDEA) kept flowing during the October 2025 federal shutdown, and Title I money helps pay one teacher's salary. Without a posted budget, these records cannot show whether the school's money is growing or shrinking.
Where the district stands
Context: NCES count, one school.
About $20,000 more than the current contract.
Major projects
Bell-to-bell cell phone ban (policy JICJ)
under reviewA Maine-model policy would ban student phones and smartwatches all school day, Pre-K to grade 8.
- Superintendent reports the state plans a law banning phones in schools
- First reading accepted 3-0
- On agenda again
- On agenda again
Funding
No cost stated
Soccer field expansion
stalledExpansion past the playground fence is blocked because the land is a wetland, and permits and fees would cost too much.
- Construction plans and letter to neighbors reported
- Wetland limits reported; DEP site visit to be requested
- Meeting with Maine DEP set
Funding
Not stated
Artificial intelligence (AI) policy
not startedMembers asked for a sample AI policy in October 2025, and January 2026 minutes say one will be developed. No draft is posted.
- Superintendent to get a sample AI policy
- AI policy planned for the future
Funding
Not applicable
Recent news
School Committee agendas, minutes and linked draft policies posted on drinkwaterschool.org (Google Docs), October 2025 to the October 28, 2026 agenda.
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