← Gorham Guardian · All findings
Severity: critical · Category: taxes · Last updated: May 3, 2026 (originally Feb 27, 2026) · Dollar amount: +$532
The Q&A (Q55, originally numbered Q43 before the district added new questions) revealed the actual FY26 rate paid was 9.54. The brochure's 9.4944 baseline is lower than what any homeowner actually paid.
Q&A Q55 (originally numbered Q43 in the February version of the Q&A document; the district has since added questions and renumbered) confirmed the actual FY26 school mill rate paid was 9.54 — lower than the Budget Validation Referendum-approved 9.84 due to end-of-year savings. The brochure uses 9.4944 as its baseline — not what any homeowner actually paid.
The brochure was printed before the School Committee vote and showed a proposed FY27 rate of 10.87 mills. The School Committee approved 10.34 mills on April 8, 2026 — changing the picture further. Four valid ways to measure the same increase:
• Brochure baseline vs. proposed (9.4944 → 10.87): +$550 (+14.5%) on a $400K home — brochure figure, NEVER approved • Actual FY26 paid vs. proposed (9.54 → 10.87): +$532 (+13.9%) on a $400K home — proposed, NEVER approved • Actual FY26 paid vs. School Committee-approved (9.54 → 10.34): +$320 (+8.4%) on a $400K home • Budget Validation Referendum-approved vs. School Committee-approved (9.84 → 10.34): +$160 (+5.1%) on a $400K home
Actual FY26 rate paid was 9.54, not 9.4944 — homeowners see +$532, not +$550
Document: FY27 Budget Brochure + Budget Workshop Q&A
Reference: Taxpayer Impact Table / Q&A Question 55 (originally numbered Q43 in February — the district has since added questions to the Q&A document)
Q&A: School Committee Q&A Document (gorhamschools.org) — Q55 (was Q43 in the February Q&A)
Asked: Q55 (originally Q43): Would it be possible to see a 5 (or 10?) year history looking at what we projected the mil rate impact to be during the time of the budget approval process, side by side to the actual mil rate impact for that year?
District answer: The district confirmed the actual FY26 school mill rate wound up being 9.54 — a decrease of 0.30 from the approved rate. The district provided a historical chart showing projected vs. actual mil rates and acknowledged the gap between projections and actuals.
Analyst note: The district answered honestly when asked — and the answer proves the brochure's 9.4944 baseline is not what taxpayers actually paid. The actual FY26 rate of 9.54 should have been in the brochure. The public brochure has not been corrected or updated. (Updated May 3, 2026 to add the April 28 Joint Workshop slides' conflicting 9.49 figure as a 5th valid baseline; original Feb 27 record preserved above. See Flag #34.)