District overview
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
RSU 74 serves Anson (including North Anson), Embden, New Portland and Solon in Somerset County. A 15-member Board of Directors drawn from those towns sets policy, hires the superintendent and writes the budget. Voters then approve the budget article by article at a district budget meeting in May. For 2026-27 they approved $13.3 million in spending, including $3.2 million in local money above what Maine's school funding formula (Essential Programs and Services) counts as needed.
At the May 20, 2026 district budget meeting, residents approved all 20 warrant articles, including the $13,300,474 total and $3,205,397 in extra local funds (written ballot 22-1).
The 2026-27 local share required by the state formula was $3,898,667, split as Anson $1,229,387, Embden $1,256,713, New Portland $666,110 and Solon $746,457.
Directors are listed by town: Anson/North Anson, Embden, New Portland and Solon. Troy Dunphy chairs the board and Kevin Sousa is vice chair for 2026-27.
Carrabec High School, Carrabec Community School, Garret Schenck School (Anson) and Solon Elementary School.
The extra local money is explained by the board as paying for class sizes, special education, activities and transportation that the state formula does not fully count. That is common in rural Maine and does not by itself mean the district overspends.
Context: $13,300,474 divided by about 588 students (NCES enrollment). Includes all costs, such as transportation and special education.
The two elementary schools share one principal. After three changes since April, the superintendent proposed former principal Jean Butler as interim while the job is re-advertised.
Operating budget (school administration)
A $533,051 lease-purchase of LED lighting. CCS and CHS were finished in time to keep the maximum Efficiency Maine refund; Solon was still waiting in September; Garret Schenck was removed in March.
Lease-purchase financing plus Efficiency Maine refund
The restructure committee is looking for classroom space for 2027-28, when the district must serve 3-year-olds now served by Child Development Services. The 4-year-old program has had waiting lists, and 10 Pre-K students were transferred to other districts.
Not yet identified
The transportation director recommended one bus in the coming budget and two in 2027-28. The board was asked on Oct. 7 to let the district seek state permission for two buses, which must be done by the third week of November for state reimbursement.
Annual budget with later state reimbursement
Anson, Embden, New Portland, Solon · $13,300,474
Residents approved all 20 warrant articles, including a $13,300,474 total budget and $3,205,397 in additional local funds (written ballot 22-1). The board certified the vote on June 11, 2026.
Official source · verified Oct 26, 2026
Board agendas and minutes posted as pages on the official RSU 74 website (carrabec.org), the superintendent's monthly board report, board and committee meeting schedules, and policy JICJ, collected Nov. 2025 through Oct. 2026.
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
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