PARIS – It was a $30 million school budget that held the line, and on average will require a 4.7 percent increase in local assessments to the eight towns of SAD 17.

Salaries and benefits accounted for nearly 70 percent of the budget, which was passed unanimously by the Board of Directors on Monday. Health insurance increased nearly 7 percent over last year, and salaries increased 3 percent.

“We’re not going backwards, even though we’re not going ahead as fast as we’d like to,” Superintendent Mark Eastman told the board.

Federal mandates for standards-based reporting and state standards for meeting the Maine Learning Results have not been compromised in the budget proposal, Eastman said.

The district usually gets three new buses a year, and this year is getting only two. Maintenance needs are being scaled back, as are supplies, texts and equipment.

Capital improvements include $210,000 for a roof replacement at Oxford Hills Middle School, $252,000 to improve air quality at the Harrison Elementary School, and $50,000 to resurface the track at the high school athletic complex.

The total budget increase is $680,331, a 2.28 percent increase over last year.

Otisfield, where property valuations have “just gone through the roof,” according Eastman, will see the largest percentage increase in their local share, at nearly 10 percent. Harrison has the next highest increase, at 6.7 percent, followed by Norway at 5.2 percent and West Paris at 5 percent.

Based on a formula of 75 percent property valuation, 25 percent student population, Norway will pay the most to support the school district under the proposed budget: $2.63 million. Oxford is next, at $2.5 million, followed by Harrison, at $2.37 million, and Paris, at $2.2 million. Otisfield’s local share will be $1.47 million, followed by Waterford, at $1.23 million, West Paris, at $793,600, and Hebron, at $470,000.

The public will have a chance to voice its opinion on the budget proposal at a May 25 public hearing, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Forum at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. A districtwide referendum will be held in the eight towns June 8.

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