WHITEFIELD — A draft budget for Regional School Unit 12 would result in a 4.75 percent tax increase for most of the district’s towns.

The district must pay an additional $478,000 in debt service this year, for the construction of the new Chelsea School, and is losing about $450,000 in federal stimulus money used to pay staff.

Superintendent Greg Potter said the administrators and finance committee members faced a $1.1 million hole to plug.

“We basically have achieved a split with that,” Potter told the school board last week. “We are asking the locals to provide some more money, but also found some reductions in the budget so as not to have to pass over $1 million to our towns.”

The budget will go to the full RSU 12 school board next week, and the districtwide referendum is scheduled for June 12.

The draft budget would cause a 4.75 percent increase in the local contributions from Alna, Chelsea, Wesport Island, Whitefield, Windsor and Wiscasset. Palermo would pay 3.48 percent more than this year, and Somerville would pay 5.29 percent more — amounts adjusted to accommodate the school district’s funding formula and the state’s minimum required contribution.

The proposal calls for RSU 12 to spend $26.7 million next year, an increase of 2.5 percent.

The local contribution would be $14.4 million, an increase of 4.6 percent from this year, but still about $70,000 less than in RSU 12’s first year of operation, 2009-10.

Part of the budget hole would be plugged by carrying forward $728,241 from the district’s fund balance.

Several staff cuts make up most of the rest of the savings.

Last week, the school board approved moving Somerville’s elementary students to Windsor, which would allow about seven jobs to be eliminated. The Somerville site would be used for alternative high school education and district offices, which now occupy two leased buildings on Route 17.

Other cuts are spread across the district and include secretaries, education technicians and custodians.

The budget also calls for the addition of seven jobs, including four education technicians at Chelsea School because the school’s test scores have placed it in improvement status under the No Child Left Behind law.

At last week’s board meeting in Wiscasset, a handful of parents and staff members objected to cuts that would affect Wiscasset High School.

Technology education teacher Chip Schwehm said reducing his job from full-time to half-time would reduce technology offerings to one course and cost students some of the other courses he teaches in photography and mathematics.

Parent Greg Foster said music is not a luxury, and district officials should reconsider cutting a half-time music teacher.

“Our officials need to examine not only the cost factors but also the educational benefits,” Foster said. “I went to a concert recently that my daughter was at. It was marvelous to see all of these kids from all over the school unit participating together.”

In response to the concerns, Potter said he would talk with school staff about the options available before the school board’s April 26 special meeting to vote on the budget.

Susan McMillan — 621-5645

[email protected]