OAKLAND — The teachers of Regional School Unit 18 have volunteered to cut their own pay to help achieve a flat budget, Superintendent Gary Smith told the school board Wednesday night.

The board unanimously approved recommendations from Smith that included more than $600,000 in cost reductions. Each teacher and administrator in the district gave up $225 to help meet the goal of a flat $31,972,592 budget.

The money saved by the pay cuts amounts to $60,000, part of $354,223 in salary and benefit reductions. Other major reductions include $75,000 in technology equipment and $78,068 in professional development,

Smith said that the cuts were identified with an effort to avoid staff reductions, minimize the impact on student programming and to maintain the district’s education goals.

Board members expressed gratitude to the teachers for the sacrifice, and hope that the budget will be approved by voters in the district’s towns of Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney, who rejected budgets of $33 million and $32.6 million during the summer.

The flat budget amount of $31,974,420 represents a reduction of $625,000 from the most recently rejected budget.

“The request to develop a flat budget can be accomplished only be making across the board reductions requiring sacrifices in all areas and many tough decisions,” Smith said.

One English teaching position was eliminated at Messalonskee High School, which Smith said would result in larger class sizes.

Frank Brown, the president of the teacher’s union, said that the loss would hurt students.

“Because we lost this position, it means that some of the most struggling students are going to be sitting in English classes of between 22 and 25 students,” Brown said. “These are the kids who need the one-on-one most. They won’t get it.”

Brown also said that the pay cut will hurt some teachers.

“There are a lot of people who are really going to have to scrimp,” he said. “We did it out of the kindness of our hearts.”

Several local town officials were in attendance, and they expressed sharply different views.

Penny Morell, a selectwoman from Belgrade, said that a flat budget makes sense in the face of the recession.

“Why would we give the school, teachers, administrators, entire staff, a pay increase in these economic times?” she asked.

Mike Perkins, chairman of the Oakland Town Council, said that he supported a larger budget for the district.

“Shame on some of those other towns for balking this budget,” Perkins said, “Shame on you guys for voting this budget down.”

Smith urged education advocates to support the budget, even though it was less than they might have wanted.

“We need to turn our attention back to educating kids again,” he said. “For two-plus months, it’s been pretty much paralysis. There’s probably a lot of people not happy with this final spot, but I’m urging people to support this budget and move on with it.”

Board members and administrators said that they would work harder next year to advocate for an increased budget for the 2013-2014 school year. The early stages for that budget will be under way soon.

“Coming back with another flat budget next year will not be possible,” said board member Lora Downing.

Smith said that since 2009 the local tax impact has decreased by $1,278,235.

“We’ll have a budget that is lower than the 2006-07 school year, and it will be less than that budget by $150,000,” he said. “I don’t think there are many districts in the state of Maine that can say that, or even in the nation.”

Smith said that he has learned that he needs to strengthen communication with area towns on this and other issues.

The budget will come before voters during a district budget meeting scheduled for Sept. 20 at the Performing Arts Center in Messalonskee High School, and again in a district-wide referendum on Oct. 2.