MEXICO – A special Region 9 vocational school board meeting has been set for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the River Road school to act on the budget.

School director Brenda Gammon said the board’s Finance Committee met with staff Monday to discuss the proposed spending package.

This year’s budget to provide vocational education to students from Mountain Valley High School, Dirigo High School and Telstar High School is $1.9 million.

Gammon said she expects a budget increase of less than 5 percent.

“All staff will be kept and we’re not looking to cut any programs,” she said.

Stable health insurance costs improves the chance that the school’s 18 full- and part-time staff will get a small pay raise.

The instructional staff of 11 teachers and two educational technicians generally get raises equal to the average provided to teachers from the three sending schools.

The board will review the Finance Committee’s proposal for the secondary budget, as well as an adult and community education budget of about $295,000, which is about the same as this year.

Public hearings on the secondary and adult education budgets have been set for 6 p.m. April 15 at Telstar High School in Bethel and 7:30 p.m. April 15 in the cafeteria of Region 9.

Voting will take place at 6:30 p.m. May 19 at the Region 9 school.