As residents step into the voting booth on Tuesday’s Primary Day, the fate of the proposed RSU 14 2026-20227 school budget will be decided, along with filling a Select Board seat in Raymond for a one-year term and choosing the Republican Party’s nominee for the State Senate District 26 race in November.
In Windham, voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Windham High School’s Auxiliary Gym, 406 Gray Road in Windham. Voting in Raymond will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Jordan-Small Middle School Gymnasium, 423 Webbs Mills Road in Raymond.
For RSU 14, school district board members are proposing a total budget for 2026-2027 of $79,199,077, up from last year’s total budget calculation of $67,861,394.
“The recommended local expenditure budget has an increase of 6.97 percent this year,” said RSU 14 Superintendent of Schools Christopher Howell. “Some 4.36 cent of the budget increase was the result of increases to negotiated salaries/benefits and increases to operational costs across the district. The remaining 2.6 percent is tied to the first local debt payment for the new middle school that was approved by the voters in November 2023. Our local contribution for the debt is $1.7 million. We are fortunate that the State of Maine will be contributing $10.4 million in debt service to the project in 2027.”
Howell said a 6.97 percent overall increase in the proposed budget represents the local expenditure impact to the budget and for local taxpayers.
“The percentage represents an increase of $4,731,188 with 4.36 percent of the 6.97 percent increase, or $2,956,293, is attributed to negotiated salaries, benefits, and fixed costs in the budget,” he said. “The remaining 2.6 percent, $1,774,895, is the local debt portion of the new middle school. This is the first local debt payment for the debt that was approved in 2023 as part of the school referendum. The $1.7 million will be assessed to Windham and Raymond taxpayers based on the student population that will be attending the new building. The current percentages are 82 percent Windham and 18 percent Raymond.”
Howell said this is another year with a significant increase in the amount of state subsidy sent to the school district for the construction of the new Windham Raymond Middle School.
“For the 2027 budget, the State of Maine will be contributing an additional $6,606,495 in direct subsidy. This is on top of the $4.8 million that was included in the budget last year,” he said. “The State of Maine will be contributing $10,432,274 in state aid for construction in the 2027 budget. For point of clarification, this is money sent directly to the school district to cover the state portion of school construction. As a reminder, 76 percent of the total cost of the new building is the responsibility of the State of Maine. The remaining 24 percent belongs to taxpayers in Windham and Raymond.”
According to Howell, a third-grade teaching position was reduced due to a decline in enrollment at that grade level. He says the eight special education positions were reduced as part of an effort to bring the budget down.
“We fully understand that the inclusion of the local debt payment is putting an additional strain on the budget next year,” Howell said. “In addition to these reductions, any new position that was added to the budget this year was funded through the reduction of a position from some other location in the budget. The RSU 14 Board of Directors also committed $1.2 million from its existing fund balance to reduce the impact of the local budget increase to the local taxpayers.”
Should voters reject the RSU 14 budget as proposed, the school board will then formulate further cuts to programs and positions for a new budget proposal, and another public referendum vote will be held on a recalculated budget.
State Senate candidates Two candidates, Peter Violette and Kenneth Cianchette, are seeking the Republican nomination for the State Senate District 26 seat representing Windham, Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Westbrook.
Violette has been a business owner for most of his adult life, having been involved in logging and construction, real estate, and several service-related businesses. Until recently, he was the owner/operator of a major In-Home Senior Care agency. He is currently the owner of a residential cleaning company.
Having earned his master's degree in social work midway through his working career, Violette also worked for a non-profit mental health agency as a mental health therapist. He describes himself as “having a businessman’s mind with a social worker’s heart.” Violette says that this unique combination of qualifications is why he believes he has something valuable to offer the voters of District 26.
“I feel my past and current business experiences and knowledge of having worked in six separate industries have helped me to gain insights into the struggles and challenges faced by most businesses,” he said. “At the end of the day, Maine is an approximate $6 billion business in need of legislators who understand and have experience in running a business.”
Cianchette graduated from Cheverus High School and the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in economics and worked as a project manager before opening Erik’s Church in Windham in 2018.
“As a UMaine graduate in economics, I understand the only way to cut costs to electricity rates is to eliminate subsidies and corporate welfare for solar and wind projects, while encouraging policy to support clean energy generation to raise supply and to reduce consumer prices,” he said.
Key to his purpose for running, Cianchette says that he will work to ensure the mission that the late Bill Diamond started in restructuring the Office of Child and Family Services continues. He has pledged to work with, or hold accountable, the next governor on this vital issue, regardless of party affiliation. Legislative action will help, but executive action is necessary, Cianchette said.
The winner of the primary will face incumbent Democrat Tim Nangle in the General Election in November.
Raymond Municipal Election Two Raymond Select Board candidates, incumbent Derek Ray and Fred Miller, are both unopposed in seeking three-year terms on the board.
Candidates Char Jewell and Denis Morse are vying for a one-year term on the Raymond Select Board.
Jewell previously served on the RSU 14 Board of Directors from 2021 to 2025 and says she is running for Select Board to give back to the community.
“My priorities for Raymond center on balancing affordability, essential services, and thoughtful long-term planning,” Jewell said. “As our town grows, we must decide whether to preserve our current character or invest in carefully managed growth – and ensure our budget reflects that vision. I will prioritize transparency in how decisions are made and how tax dollars are spent, so residents clearly understand trade-offs between needs and wants. Supporting core services such as Fire & Rescue, Public Works, and community resources is critical, along with addressing workforce challenges to attract and retain skilled employees.”
Morse previously served on the Select Board for 18 months until he was recalled during a public vote in December and was a member of the Raymond Budget/Finance Committee for three years, Raymond Fire Chief for 12 years, and Portland Firefighters Association President for 13 years.
““In addition to financial accountability, I want to push for more citizen’s engagement in our town. After the recall, no one new showed up to run for elected office. Even the board meetings saw a drop in viewers. For three years citizens were running for elected positions and no seats went vacant. The only challenged seat is this one, and one of the Budget/Finance Committee, which had no interested candidates at all. If we are to become a great community, a diverse group of citizens need to be attracted, old and young for the good of all.”
There also are 24 total Warrant Articles put forward by the Raymond Budget-Finance Committee on the ballot that comprise the Town Budget for 2026-2027. Some of those Warrant Article Referendum Questions include asking voter approval for the town to raise and appropriate $3,222,764 for General Government Services; $2,049,461 for Public Works; $36,500 from the Cemetery Trust Fund/Restricted Fund for cemetery maintenance and operations.; $1,780,271 for Public Safety including $1,731,451 for the Fire/Rescue Department and $48,820 for Animal Control. There is also a short-term rental ordinance for voters to approve or disapprove.
Incumbent Diana Froisland is unopposed in seeking re-election to a three-year term on the Raymond Budget-Finance Committee, while first-time candidate Keith Dyer is unopposed for a one-year term on the Budget-Finance Committee.
Jodi Carroll, an incumbent, is seeking re-election to the RSU 14 Board of Directors representing Raymond for a three-year term. <
