NEW GLOUCESTER – SAD 15 officials updated selectmen on the proposed 2009-10 budget of $20,339,852 for Gray and New Gloucester schools on Monday, to prepare for a district budget hearing and referendum vote next week.

School board Chairman Alan Rich said hard economic times made it difficult for schools to prepare budgets with curtailed revenues to schools this year and lower state subsidies next year. Despite receiving $515,304 in federal stimulus funds, this served as an offset to the state subsidy reduction totals and reduced the actual subsidy from Maine by $562,245, Rich said.

SAD 15 will receive a state subsidy of $8,203,468, which is $1,077,549 lower than 2008-09.

“Property values in Gray and New Gloucester went up 15 percent. The state assembles market values at their discretion and the state’s valuations of towns are higher than town’s evaluations,” Rich said.

Over 25 positions including teaching and support staff will be reduced or eliminated and reductions in programs are planned, Rich said.

And, all fifth-grade students will move from the Dunn Elementary School to Gray-New Gloucester Middle School for the start of the 2009-10 year.

The total school budget tax increase is estimated at .26 mills for Gray and .06 mills for New Gloucester.

For a home valued at $100,000 in Gray, that translates to $1,015, and $847 in New Gloucester.

The SAD 15 District Budget meeting for the public vote will be held at 6 p.m. on May 28 at Gray-New Gloucester High School Cafetorium. Registration begins at 5:15 p.m.

There, voters will be asked to approve 17 warrant articles.

Then, a validation vote will take place at the polls on June 9 to approve the budget with a “yes” or “no” vote.

In other business, selectmen granted a liquor license to Maine Track Club of Portland, which will hold a one-day event called the “Pineland Farms Trail Challenge” from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.

More than 500 athletes will compete in five events: a 50 mile run; a 50 kilometer run; a 25 kilometer run and a 4 kilometer canicross, the sport of running or walking with your dog.

At the end of the race, runners will be served beer sponsored by Tailgate Bar and Grill and Mercury Brewing of Ipswich, Mass.

Athletes are coming from 223 different states and four Canadian Provinces, said race director Erik Boucher.

In other business, officials from the Maine Turnpike Authority joined by Owen Wells, president of Libra Foundation thanked New Gloucester selectmen for the smooth transition and cooperation to replace the one-lane bridge over the turnpike at the Mayall Road last year.

Paul Violette of MTA said this marked the third single-lane bridge over the turnpike to be replaced at a cost of $5 million.

“I express appreciation for the ability of the community and the adjacent farmer to find an amicable solution to be able to build in one construction season,” Violette said. “We all came out winners.”

“We couldn’t have had a better relationship with a state agency in realizing this bridge and the cooperation to accommodate our needs. We were closed only one week,” said Wells speaking of Pineland Farms’ Gillespie Farm operation on the Mayall Road.