AUGUSTA — A group of about a dozen high school students won’t be going to a gay- and lesbian-themed entertainment event starting today at the University of Maine at Machias.

The Board of Education decided against allowing the trip Wednesday night, with members saying they had concerns about the cost and lack of chaperones, according to Superintendent Cornelia Brown.

Between 12 and 16 students had been slated to attend the university’s Rainbow Ball, which runs through Sunday, but only one adult chaperone had been lined up, Brown said. The cost of busing the students on the 140-mile, nearly three-hour trip with two overnight stays was estimated at $500, Brown said.

“The board had concerns the chaperone ratio was not OK and the expense was too much,” Brown said. “The board worried they didn’t have enough time to think and have their questions answered. They felt pressured, so they did not approve that trip.”

The university website says the 5th Annual Rainbow Ball Weekend is organized by the 100% Society at the University of Maine at Machias, a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, allied and asexual student support organization. The ball is described as “an open and affirming chem-free prom evening that includes dancing, DJs, entertainers, pictures, food and friends.”

In other business Wednesday, the board unanimously approved a proposal to change the funding formula for the Capital Area Technical Center in an attempt to attract more students. Officials say as many as 175 more students could be accommodated at the 400-student tech center.

Now, school systems other than Augusta pay tuition of about $3,800 per student. The proposal establishes a set assessments for each of the eight sending schools, which they would pay each year regardless of how many students attend the tech center in a given year. Schools could send as many students as they want as long as the tech center has the capacity to take them on.

The assessment would be based on a formula that takes many factors into account, including how many students each school has typically sent in the past.

The proposal also needs approval from school board in all the sending schools.

In addition, the Board of Education postponed a proposal to change the health insurance carrier for non-union and administrative employees from Anthem/Maine Education Association Benefits Trust to Aetna for non-union employees, affecting 33 employees. School officials say the Aetna proposal could save about $90,000 a year.

Board members asked for more information before making a decision, Brown said. The matter could be taken up at the board’s next meetings, on April 25 or May 9.