BETHEL – Residents of SAD 44 will have a chance Wednesday to act on a proposed 2009-10 operating budget that’s about $300,000 less than this year’s.

The proposed figure is $9.96 million for the education of just under 1,000 students from the district’s five member towns and several unaffiliated towns and plantations.

All member towns, except Andover, will see an increase in school taxes because of a combination of fewer state aid dollars and an increase in property valuation, Superintendent David Murphy said. If the budget is adopted as proposed, taxes on each $100,000 of assessed property value would increase as follows: Andover, $0; Bethel, $39.03; Greenwood, $49.22; Newry, $37.16; and Woodstock, $29.61.

He said the amount of state aid dropped by $990,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. Part of that was offset by $285,000 in federal stimulus money.

The proposed budget includes a penalty of $198,000 from the state for not partnering with another district as mandated by state law. However, that penalty will not be assessed this year and will give districts such as SAD 44 more time to find a partner.

Murphy said the penalty money will remain in the budget. About $55,000 will be used to restore some line items, with the remainder going into a contingency fund.

To arrive at the proposed $9.96 million figure, a variety of cuts were made to existing services and programs. Although several positions were eliminated, only one person will lose a job. Cuts include:

• Stipends for wing leaders at Crescent Park Elementary School.

• The 4 p.m. late bus run.

• A half-time industrial arts teaching position.

• $36,000 for equipment and supplies.

Whether an elementary teaching position and a high school English position will be retained is not yet known.

Some staff members may be required to shift their current responsibilities.

Murphy said the state valuation of the district is twice that of the average statewide. Next year, it may rise to three times the statewide average.

At Wednesday’s budget vote, residents will also be asked to authorize the transfer of $500,000 from the unspent balance at the end of 2009-10 fiscal year to the school’s capital reserve fund. This money would only be spent with approval from voters.

The budget vote Wednesday, June 3, will be followed by a referendum June 9.