FARMINGTON – There will be a town meeting on the proposed SAD 9 budget at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Mt. Blue High School gym.

The 2009-10 spending plan is $23,654,291, a 1.28 percent reduction from the current fiscal year. It takes into account a state subsidy reduction of $561,040 and federal stimulus funding of $372,456.

The district has experienced above-average increases in town valuations and declining enrollment, hence the state subsidy reduction. The district valuation has increased by 11 percent, while the overall state valuation increased 9 percent.

At their April 28 meeting, the SAD 9 Board of Directors approved the budget by a 13-1 vote. They added back a Chinese language teacher that had been proposed to be cut, as well as $53,000 for a new bus garage roof, and reinstated the librarian position for Cape Cod Hill School and Mt. Blue Middle School.

Several board members spoke strongly in favor of adding back the librarian, noting the school district has made a commitment to literacy among its children. Another budget initiative was creating a pilot prekindergarten program with the University of Maine at Farmington at the Mallett School.

The per pupil classroom supply line was reduced by 5 percent, to $15,970. Three half-time secretarial positions are being eliminated within the budget, and two are being reduced to half-time.

SAD 9 Superintendent Michael Cormier pointed out that two full-time secretaries are resigning at the end of this school year and won’t be replaced. One half-time secretary is taking a full-time educational technician III position.

An educational technician has been cut from Academy Hill School, and one special education teacher in the district has been eliminated. A classroom music position has been reduced by one day per week, a teaching position has been cut from Mt. Blue High School, and the middle school assistant principal/athletic director position has been reduced from full to half time.

The athletic accounts at the middle and high schools were also cut.

Two educational technicians were added, one at the Cushing School and one at Mallett. A library educational technician was also put into the budget.

The adult education budget is $311,862, with a local allocation request of $88,554. It includes $216,350 for adult basic education and $95,512 for adult and continuing education. The local allocation amount for adult ed has decreased by about $2,000 from last year.

Residents should note that the warrant article format for the May 19 town meeting is for closed articles. This means that the amounts listed in each line of the budget can be approved as is or reduced, but can’t be raised.

There will be a regular school board meeting after the budget meeting. A referendum to validate the budget meeting vote takes place in each community on May 27.