RUMFORD – People in SAD 43’s four member towns will be busy learning about and voting on the proposed $14.8 million 2007-2008 school budget during the next few weeks.

At Monday’s board meeting, the warrant was signed and dates for public hearings, district budget meeting and the validation vote were set.

People will have a chance at 6:30 p.m. on June 5 to hear a presentation by Superintendent Jim Hodgkin on the budget proposal, as well as on the two-part voting procedure.

Then, on June 7, voters will decide on the budget and on a $750,000 capital bond issue. Both meetings will be held in the auditorium of Mountain Valley High School.

Under the budget validation process, adopted several years ago, voters must also approve the figures they approved on June 7 at the June 12 primary election. If they don’t, then the budget process of public hearing, district budget meeting, and validation vote will begin again until a budget is in place.

The board’s reorganizational meeting was set for June 21. Nearly a half-dozen board seats, of the 13, will change after the June 12 election.

In other matters on Monday, Hodgkin updated the board on the state’s most recent progress on restructuring the state’s school districts. He said it looks now as though the state’s 180-plus districts and school unions will be consolidated into 62 regional districts with student population minimums set at 1,200 or 2,500, depending on the population density of an area.

He also said the neighboring districts of SAD 21 and SAD 44 would likely join with SAD 43 for one regional district, although that configuration has not been confirmed. If the three districts merge within the next year or two, the total student population would be just under 3,500.

Hodgkin said a meeting of the three districts’ superintendents, board chairmen and board vice-chairmen will be called to discuss a potential merger after the June 21 reorganizational meeting.

Also on Monday, the board learned of the first bomb threat of the year at Mountain Valley Middle School on Monday. Hodgkin said the school went into lockdown mode and the school was cleared. Nothing was found.

If another bomb scare happens, he said school personnel will return to checking or restricting backpacks coming into the school.

Also:

• the resignations of 33-year educational technician Karen Hodsdon and special education teacher Diana O’Clair were accepted.

• the board went into a closed session to conduct an evaluation of the superintendent.