RUMFORD – The SAD 43 board will begin paring down a preliminary $15.4 million operating budget for school year 2007-2008 at a special budget workshop set for March 26.

The special meeting follows the final preliminary presentations made by department heads at Monday night’s regular board meeting.

Superintendent Jim Hodgkin said he believes the final figure, which residents of the four-town district will vote on in June, could likely be reduced to about 5 percent above the current adopted budget of $14.3 million, to roughly $15 million.

Most of that increase can be attributed to an average staff salary hike of 4.82 percent because the state mandated that all beginning teachers start with a $30,000 salary minimum. When the bottom of the step scale goes up, virtually all of the other step amounts are increased as well.

About 80 percent of the total budget is comprised of staff salaries and benefits.

Among the requested increases presented Monday were about $39,000 for the technology budget, which would provide about half of the elementary teachers with new computers; $21,000 for special education, which would increase a social worker to full time and upgrade an educational technician positions; and about $90,000 for buildings and grounds and transportation, which would include money for a part-time bus driver and purchases of a bucket loader, van and pickup with plow.

Thousands more dollars were added because of the increase in the cost of all fuels used by the district.

At the last board meeting, building principals submitted budgets that showed less than 1 percent increases over the current year.

Hodgkin said he believes the preliminary figure will be decreased by the time it reaches voters. And he doesn’t know yet how much state aid will be provided to the district. He said the state had planned to notify districts in February.

The total school budget, along with revenues from the state, determine the impact of school taxes on property owners.

The March 26 meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Mountain Valley High School

In other matters on Monday, the board:

• appointed Rumford school board member Frank DiConzo to a three-year seat on the Region 9 School of Applied Technology Cooperative board. He replaces longtime representative Marlene Gile.

• learned that the price for lunches may go up 25 cents from $1.25 for elementary school pupils, $1.50 for middle school, and $1.75 for high school; and

• appointed Lisa Russell as the volunteer assistant girls softball coach at the high school.