PARIS – Few showed for a public hearing Monday on a $1.9 million portion of the SAD 17 budget that will be up for a revote July 26. The hearing was held in the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Forum.
Voters in June authorized the school district to spend a $31.2 million budget, but rejected a related article that would have required $1.9 million of the money to be raised locally. School officials have attributed the rejection largely to voter confusion.
Superintendent Mark Eastman said he thought some voters in June were confused by the warrant article referring to the $1.9 million, which was titled, “Article 4. Additional Local Funds.” Eastman said voters may have believed the money was supplemental to the budget.
It is not, he explained. He added that voters will be asked to consider an identical Article 4 on July 26 because of the way state law requires school budget referendum questions be worded.
Eastman said the $1.9 million covers a gap in funding under the new Essential Programs and Services Funding Act. “Had (the state) fully funded this,” he said, “we probably wouldn’t be here tonight because we would have seen significantly lower taxes in all the towns.”
District Business Manager Cathy Fanjoy said the overall budget is up 2.98 percent, or $905,000, but the local share is up by more than $700,000, or 5.26 percent.
A total of 34 people were in the forum audience Monday. Several were members of the SAD 17 board.
Paris resident Marge Ripley may have been the only non-board member to speak. While she asked a few questions about the budget, she did not appear confused about her decision.
“I always vote no,” she said as she left after the short hearing.
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