JAY – Voters will consider a $9.96 million school spending plan for fiscal 2008 on Tuesday, June 12, that represents a decrease of $504,221 from this year’s budget.

It is part of a $16 million municipal budget package going before voters at the polls from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Community Building.

If the school budget is approved, taxpayers would be asked to raise $243,681 less than they did last year, Superintendent Robert Wall said.

The reason the reduction in tax commitment does not reflect the $504,221 budget reduction, Wall said, is because the School Department has less rollover money to apply due to building and administering tighter budgets each year.

“I think the controls put in place have significantly lowered taxes,” Wall said.

School officials eliminated several positions, including teachers, food service director, library clerk and custodian/bus driver, and reduced other positions to arrive at the fiscal 2008 proposed budget.

Careful consideration was given to positions considered for elimination or reduction to make sure student programs and opportunities could be maintained, Wall said.

More than $108,000 in budget cuts were from administration, he said.

Voters in Jay will be asked to raise $6.3 million so that they can get just more than a $1 million in state aid. They’ll also be asked to raise and appropriate nearly $2.1 million in additional local money to cover the budget.

The only budget account to show an increase is health services, which is at $50,070 now and is proposed at $52,751 in next year’s budget.

Voters will also consider a stand alone article for $79,760 for Jay’s share of the adult education program it partners with SAD 36 on.