Residents of School Administrative District 54 head to the polls on Tuesday to validate a budget of $33,974,794 for 2016-17 passed by voters at the district budget meeting in May.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Canaan, Cornville, Mercer, Norridgewock and Smithfield and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Skowhegan.

The spending package is 0.67 percent lower than the current budget in part because of a $15 million statewide subsidy authorized in legislation signed by the governor in April giving SAD 54 an extra $194,564 because of the hardship of losing value and taxes from Sappi Fine Paper.

Local spending to fund the budget comes in at $13,381,121. Only the town of Cornville will be asked to contribute more to the district budget in the coming year, with a 0.51 percent increase in its share. Local spending in the towns of Canaan, Mercer, Norridgewock, Skowhegan and Smithfield will decrease.

SAD 54 Superintendent Brent Colbry said following the district budget meeting that the school board worked hard “to find a balance of the interest of the local property taxpayers (and) the needs of kids.”

“We incorporated the additional money from the state in here, and we actually reduced taxes with that money,” he said.

Highlights of the 2016-17 SAD 54 budget include:

• $12,293,624 for regular instruction;

• $7,358,888 for special education;

• $1,419,786 for career and technical education;

• $2,654,280 for student and staff support;

• $1,557,274 for school administration;

• $1,958,901 for transportation and buses;

• $3,039,400 for facilities maintenance;

• $327,924 for adult education;

• $118,000 to raise as the local share.

Of the total $33.9 million budget, $18.7 million will come from state funding, which is about the same as this year. The budget comes with the merger of two technology support positions, reducing an education technician position by 75 percent, eliminating $48,000 in new textbook purchases and eliminating $109,000 in supplies, equipment and technology.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

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