FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 school board is one step closer to securing a budget for the new fiscal year.

In a weighted vote by the board members, the $32,043,907 budget was approved and will move on to a full budget meeting July 21 at Mt. Blue High School to set the numbers and hopefully move on to a referendum July 28.

With the state budget passing, Superintendent Tom Ward said the district’s towns will get $301,000 back in the form of property tax relief. Add that to $206,000 in budget reductions the board found, and the district is facing a 3.2 percent increase instead of a 3.9 percent increase from the first proposed budget.

The initially proposed $32.25 million budget — up $1.2 million from the previous year — was rejected in a districtwide referendum on June 9. The district includes Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Starks, Temple, Vienna, Wilton and Weld.

A savings of $26,000 was found at the June 30 meeting in cutting a mathematics interventionist position. The school health coordinator position was cut in half for a savings of another $6,600, but too little too late into the night proved disappointing.

Board member Ross Clair, of Chesterville, questioned yet another lengthy meeting yielding few results, asking, “Do we have any meat and potatoes where we’re going to make some cuts tonight?”

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Clair was still unsatisfied at the end of Tuesday night’s session, saying, “I don’t think we met our goal as a board. I’m just afraid we’re going back where we were last time.”

Clair said that while he agrees it’s time to move on, he doesn’t think voters will accept the new numbers.

Claire Andrews supported the budget, saying the board worked hard and diligently to come up with an acceptable package. “We have an obligation to our students. This is something we need to do.”

The effect of increases per community breaks down as follows: Chesterville, $72,437; Farmington, $316,305; Industry, $61,775; New Sharon, $73,896; New Vineyard, $63,004; Starks, 29,163; Temple, $30,903; Vienna, $60,833; Wilton, $189,350; and Weld, $43,217.

Douglas McIntire — 861-9252

dmcintire@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @CD_McIntire

 


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