LEWISTON – The School Committee has approved a $41.4 million 2006-07 school budget, giving its OK a full month ahead of schedule.
If adopted by the City Council, the budget would pay for six new teachers to help 150 Bantu students learn English. It will add three high school teachers and portable classrooms at Longley and Montello elementary schools. And, for the first time, it will pay for bowling and girls’ ice hockey teams at the high school.
The budget, which was approved last week, is 6.4 percent larger than the current budget of $38.9 million. Property taxes would not be affected, however, because extra state aid would offset higher spending.
The School Committee wasn’t scheduled to vote on the budget until March 13. It voted early, Superintendent Leon Levesque said, because there was little controversy about the necessary spending.
The vote was unanimous, he said.
The budget will be presented to the City Council in April. The council can send the budget back to the School Committee and ask for a lower overall figure, but it cannot change specific line items.
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