BUCKFIELD – SAD 39 Budget Committee Chairman Terry Hayes spent an hour discussing the 2004-2005 school budget with selectmen Tuesday night.

Hayes said the $5.7 million budget is up less than $22,000, which will reflect a zero to one half mill on tax bills in Buckfield. She said the average tax bill would show a slight decrease.

Staff has dropped by five, with some retiring and not being replaced, others cut. She said enrollment has dropped by 100 over the past five years. This year’s graduating class is 46, and there were 80 students in this class in elementary school.

The biggest concern to the Budget Committee, she said, is that the two fifth-grade classes would have 20 and 21 students. This is below the average of other Maine towns, she said. Reducing staff is always hard, but the data supported it, Hayes added.

Selectman Chairman Skip Stanley asked if the Budget Committee had looked at alternate sources of fuel, and Hayes said they had but were also looking at other sources of revenue such as having participating students pay for recreational sports.

Hayes said another problem arose at the very last budget meeting when they found out a special education student had moved to town and this would cost the town $27,000 in services. They couldn’t cut anymore, she said.

Stanley brought up the benefits, such as dental insurance. Hayes said that once this was in the contracts, they really could not take anything away.

Selectman Oscar Gammon brought up the fact that though the federal government imposes mandates, they don’t come up with the money and the state does the same thing. After mandating that the states provide special education, it only funds 7 percent of the cost, Hayes added.

In other matters, members of the Recreation Commission updated the selectmen on funding for Buckfield recreation Memorial Park. They are seeking a grant and need town approval for matching funds. This will be on the warrant in June.

Town Manager Cindy Dunn said Maine State Police will be enforcing the junkyard ordinance and not the town.

An alternative landscaping plan that was suggested at the last workshop was rejected and the board voted to continue with the present plan.

Money was approved to replace the motor in the 1982 GMC tanker for the fire department.