RANGELEY – In addition to giving the municipal budget the “yea” or “nay” at their annual town meeting next Thursday, Rangeley voters will also get a chance to give the town’s $2.1 million school budget their blessing or disapproval.

Rangeley’s proposed budget for the 2003-2004 academic year has been set by school board directors at $2,097,585, a 4.87 percent increase, or $97,496 jump, over last year’s approved amount of $2,000,089.

Rangeley Superintendent Ken Coville reports that, like other area school systems, rising insurance and salary costs are contributing to the budget increase. Still, Coville and board members managed to keep the total budget increase at a smaller amount than the $97,589 set in negotiated wages and health insurance for school employees.

Despite the increase, the local allocation for the town of Rangeley is 6.93 mills, just under $1.5 million, well below the state’s average tax rate for education, projected at 11.39 for this coming school year. Keeping that rate below 7 mills was important to the board, said Coville.

That mill rate is up slightly from last year’s rate of 6.66 mills, but down from the average mill rate over the past six years of 7.21 mills.

More than $330,000 of the school’s revenue comes from per-pupil tuition paid by area plantations. Tuition students make up 15 percent of the school’s total K-12 population of 230 students.

Coville says he hopes the budget will get the town’s nod, saying the high percentage of Rangeley graduates who pursue post-secondary education is a testimonial to the quality of education at the school.

“The actual delivery of service is well above the standard,” he said earlier this year. “I think people see they are getting a value for their dollar, and so they are willing to pay.”

sdepoy@sunjournal.com