SABATTUS – Bill Larkin, 82, isn’t happy about the school budget that will be discussed next week, and voted on – again – on July 22.

Larkin was among those who voted against the budget when it was rejected June 10. According to state law, voting will continue until Sabattus citizens agree on a school budget.

The first time around, voters rejected the $6.12 million request, 264-261. Since then, $20,000 has been added to the budget to cover higher fuel costs.

Larkin complained Wednesday that school spending is extravagant, with too many fringes for students, and too-generous salaries for educators.

“We are senior citizens. We can’t afford to support all the school (expenses). We need a break,” Larkin said. “There are ways to cut down on the budget. I know they’re not looking. Please look.”

Not true, says parent Kim Veilleux, 40.

“The principal and school board were diligent in cutting as much as they could,” said Veilleux, president of the Sabattus Parent Teacher Association. “Unfortunately, a lot of increases are due to oil and the costs of running a school. We have no control over that.”

She understands anxiety about rising costs, “but the kids are our future.” If Sabattus students don’t get the education they need to be successful in high school, college and careers, “The town will die.”

While the budget is 2.3 percent higher than last year, less is being asked from property taxpayers, said school principal Beverly Coursey. More money from the state, and a surplus, means 18 percent less is being asked of property taxpayers, she said.

Larkin and Veilleux illustrate the division their town and others are experiencing. Seniors are protesting higher school spending. Parents and educators insist the spending is necessary.

Many in Sabattus are talking about the budget “on both sides,” Town Clerk Suzanne Adams said Wednesday.

“Older residents are upset because they voted it down” on the grounds spending was too high, and now the budget is $20,000 more, Adams said. “Parents with children in school want to support the budget.”

Larkin said his property taxes should help the schools, but seniors and people without children shouldn’t have to pay as much. Parents should pay a “user tax,” he said.

A retired Bath Iron Works engineer, Larkin said he works part-time doing maintenance at the St. Francis Mission in Greene to afford his property taxes. Students are getting services that aren’t necessary “from sacrifices of these other people who can’t afford it.”

For instance, he sees students taking the bus when they live a half-mile from school. “When I grew up, we never had a school bus,” Larkin said. Buses use fuel. Bus rides should be reserved for those who don’t live close to schools, he said.

And the town report lists school salaries, which shows principals making $66,000 and $78,000. Some teachers make $29,000 or $30,000, but others earn $51,000, $55,000 or $59,000. “The little town of Sabattus can’t afford these salaries,” Larkin said. “They say, ‘Oh, we can’t hire people unless we pay these salaries. My polite answer is ‘bull.'”

Veilleux says Sabattus educators deserve their salaries. “My kids get an awesome education thanks to Sabattus teachers. If we don’t pay decent salaries we won’t get decent teachers. You get what you pay for.”

Coursey said salaries are based on the labor contract negotiated each year by the school board and teachers union. Teachers’ pay ranges from $30,000 to $58,000.

Those at the high end have years of experience and a masters degree, which teachers have been encouraged to get. Research shows teachers with more education mean students have higher academic achievement, Coursey said.

On busing, Sabattus is working on routes to improve efficiency. “We do it every year,” Coursey said. But many students take the bus because there are no sidewalks, and it’s not safe to walk on roads.

All property taxpayers, including those without children, help pay for schools because laws and taxes are structured to support the education of all, she said. “Every adult had that opportunity. I had that opportunity. Now it’s time for me to pay that back.”

Veilleux said she doesn’t envy seniors on fixed incomes. But younger families “are trying to raise our children. Our income is affected as adversely as theirs.” At one point, seniors had children in school. “They would not have wanted their children’s education cut.”