By Timothy Churchill,Staff Writer

NORWAY – On Tuesday, voters in SAD 44 approved a budget of $9,339,349, just $490 less than last year’s budget.

Andover, Bethel, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock each approved all seven articles on the ballot.

“I’m very pleased that it passed in all towns,” Superintendent David Murphy said Tuesday night shortly after he received results. He added that “this was a carefully scrutinized budget, one that we spent a lot of time on.”

Murphy said Article 4, which raises more than $1.9 million in local funds, passed by a tighter margin than the other articles.

Murphy said the slightly diminished budget this year would result in some cutbacks.

One cutback the district will face, he said, is moving from a double to a single bus run, with elementary school students sharing buses with middle and high school students.

In addition, Murphy said, a full-time high school teaching position and several educational technician positions have been cut in the district.

Meanwhile, Murphy said, fixed costs such as fuel, workers’ compensation and health insurance have risen.

“It’s a very tight budget,” Murphy said. He added, “It’s very tough to make cuts. We would have liked to be able to add things to the budget.”