FARMINGTON — The proposed 2012-13 budget for Mt. Blue Regional School District would increase the overall amount district towns pay in school taxes by 4.3 percent, or $439,340.

Voters and board members in the Farmington-based school district will get a chance at upcoming meetings to decide whether to keep the $28,991,982 budget proposal or change it.

Superintendent Michael Cormier called the budget proposal presented this week responsible, saying it makes some cuts without significantly affecting the quality of educational programs and services.

He noted that despite increases in state subsidies and additional revenue if Starks joins the school district, the budget proposal includes layoffs, cuts for supplies and other reductions because federal stimulus funding has ended.

Starks joining the school district is expected to add about $400,000 in revenue to the budget proposal, because 50 to 60 new students would attend the school district. Current enrollment in the district is 2,329.

Voters in Starks will decide Tuesday whether to approve leaving Madison-based School Administrative District 59 to join Mt. Blue’s school district, whose residents then would have to vote April 24 to let Starks join.

The proposed budget for Mt. Blue’s school district is up 14.2 percent from the current budget, but most of the increase is for construction projects in the district, which are paid for almost entirely by state funding, Cormier said.

State subsidies in the upcoming year are projected to increase by $2.9 million, reaching $18.2 million.

Most of that state subsidy increase will pay for the $2.7 million in debt payments for the construction of W.G. Mallett Elementary School and a new high school, which have a combined total cost of more than $70 million, Cormier said.

Without the debt payments for the construction, the budget proposal is about $1 million more than current spending, he said.

Wilton and Farmington would see the biggest difference in their school taxes compared to last year’s, based on the proposal, with their assessments increasing $180,790 and $159,997, respectively.

Chesterville is up $61,291 and New Sharon is up $55,409. The next highest spikes are New Vineyard’s, up $39,747, and Vienna’s, up $27,307. The other two towns whose shares are increasing are Weld, up $16,296, and Temple, up $9,665.

Industry’s share would drop $13,864 and Starks would drop $97,297, pending approval of the upcoming votes to join the school district.

Following upcoming planning meetings, the school board will vote on a final version of the budget at the end of this month or in early May. The budget meeting will be held May 21 or 22, with the validation vote in the school district’s communities scheduled for May 24.

The first meeting for public comment on the budget proposal will be Tuesday.

David F. Robinson — 861-9287

[email protected]