FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 will hold a districtwide budget vote on a proposed $33.63 million budget at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the gymnasium at Mt. Blue Campus.

The amount set there will go to voters in a yes-or-no validation referendum Oct. 24 in Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Vineyard, New Sharon, Starks, Temple, Vienna, Weld and Wilton.

The proposed budget is $887,984, or 2.71 percent, more than last year.

It is the fourth attempt to get a school budget for 2017-18. Three prior budgets failed. Two were about $1 million more and one was $1 million less than last year.

The district is operating on a voter-initiated $32.65 million budget. That proposal failed at referendum Sept. 12 by a vote of 1,608 to 2,893. It was nearly $1 million less than the budget the board sent to voters.

The proposed $33.63 million budget is the same amount that went to voters on Sept. 5 before it was reduced by voters.

Following the failure of the $32.65 million, directors added $126,000 to the budget: $100,000 for unanticipated special education services and $26,000 for a half-time nurse. The latter provides for a full-time nursing position at W.G. Mallett School in Farmington for a student who requires consistent medical attention and for the rest of the students and a half-time nursing position at Cascade Brook School in Farmington. Previously, one position was shared between the schools.

To offset the $126,000 increase, the majority of the board cut $78,000 from its districtwide $145,000 contingency fund and $48,000 from transportation and facilities maintenance budgets.

The school board agreed to use $729,000 in additional state revenue to reduce tax assessments to the towns, which resulted in an overall 2.06 percent decrease in assessments.

Under the proposed budget, seven of the 10 district towns will see decreases in school tax assessments and three, Chesterville, Industry and Starks, will see increases of $2,973, $11,345 and $21,582, respectively.

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