NEW GLOUCESTER – Voters in Gray and New Gloucester will go to the polls Tuesday, June 10, to determine the 2003-04 budget for SAD 15.

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the AMVET Post 6 Hall on Route 100 in New Gloucester. In Gray, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Stimson Hall.

At the same time, both communities will elect school board directors.

In New Gloucester, David Sutherland and incumbent James Hutchinson face no opposition.

In Gray, there are four candidates for two seats: Dawn Bailey, Tami Plummer, Heather Skillings and Sandy MacDonald, all newcomers.

The budget proposal requests $16,307,196, which is $80,123 more than last year. It includes a compromise consolidation plan for students in grades kindergarten through five who now attend three elementary schools.

Kindergarten, first and second grades will attend Russell School in Gray and Memorial School in New Gloucester, while grades three, four and five will attend Dunn School in New Gloucester.

In addition, Pennell Institute in Gray will close. Currently, the building houses the district’s adult education program and special service director, who will move to Russell School.

Voters must approve six questions on the ballot in order to pass the entire budget.

Question No. 1 is to appropriate $13,089,045 from the foundation allocation for school purposes and the district to raise $6,429,287 as the local share of the foundation allocation.

Question No. 2 ask voters to appropriate $647,874 from debt service allocation and raise $294,063 as the local share of this allocation.

Question No. 3 is to raise an additional local fund share of $1,838,658 that is part of the total budget of $16.3 million.

Question No. 4 is to authorize the school board to spend $16,307,196.

Question No. 5 seeks an additional $48,019 in additional local funds for the Adult Education program.

Question No. 6 is to approve spending state, federal and private grants and other forms of aid received during the 2003-04 fiscal year for school purposes.

The tax increase in Gray for a home valued at $141,000 is 0.5 percent, while in New Gloucester the tax increase is 3.39 percent. In Gray, the new mill rate would increase to $14.92, up seven cents; and in New Gloucester the new mill rate would be $13.14, up 43 cents.