By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

OXFORD – The SAD 17 Board of Directors on Monday announced a proposed 2005 budget of $30.4 million, but said the dollars may fall short in several areas.

Students may have to pay to play sports or park their cars at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Superintendent Mark Eastman said. Some bus routes may be cut; there may be no district-sponsored field trips; and some teaching positions may not be filled.

An increase in fixed costs such as health insurance, a smaller funding allocation from the state, and the expectation of property tax relief have combined “to create a problematic budget situation,” Eastman said. In order to keep costs low while also meeting requirements under the state’s Essential Programs and Services program, the district budget committee allowed for only a 2.5 percent increase in its proposal, he said.

When it was approved last year, Essential Programs and Services was touted as a shot in the arm for state schools. Under the program, the state was to calculate the amount each school system should spend to provide a basic education and then award money based on those figures.

For many schools and school districts, the first phase of the program has fallen dismally short of expectations. Eastman said SAD 17 will receive only $226,000 under the program, which will not be fully funded in 2005. With a projected increase of $295,000 in heating oil and fuel alone, he said, “We’re $69,000 in the hole before we start the (budget) process.”

Eastman said about $13.1 million of the school district’s proposed budget represents fixed costs, such as debt service payments, transportation and utilities. Of the remaining $17.3 million, 80 percent covers employees’ salaries and benefits, he said, indicating that trimming the budget was tough.

Board member Mike Brown said he served on the budget committee. A majority of the members felt tax relief was a priority, so the budget was trimmed down to reflect that, Brown said. But a series of public meetings on the budget will be held in case people feel otherwise.

“We’re going to rely on those public meetings to find out if we went the right way,” he said.

Eastman said meetings will be held throughout the district towns on April 5, 6, 12 and 13.