AUBURN – School officials said Thursday that they now understand how the state calculated its proposed state aid for the next two years. They agree the numbers are correct.

In a spreadsheet released Wednesday, the state estimated the amount that each Maine school system would get in future aid under the governor’s plan. For Auburn, the state based everything on a $25.2 million school budget for this year.

The problem? Auburn’s school budget, excluding local debt, is actually $28.3 million this year.

In a School Committee meeting Wednesday night, school administrators said they couldn’t understand the discrepancy. They had not been able to reach a state official to get their questions answered.

Thursday, state officials said the lower figure did not include money Auburn received from outside sources, such as students who pay tuition to attend school in the city. School administrators agreed that with those exclusions, the state’s figure was correct.

According to the spreadsheet, Auburn could receive $1.6 million more over the next two years if the governor’s proposal passes.