OXFORD — The Oxford Hills School District Board of Directors approved a proposed $35,162,603 budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2013 at its Monday night meeting.

The budget represents a 1.48 percent increase in expenditures over the 2012 budget of $34,650,792. and a $964,616 increase (or a 6.03 percent increase) in local assessments over this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

It would include money for an assistant special education director, funds to implement a shared school plan at Harrison and Waterford elementary schools and money to pay for a shared principal at the Oxford and Otisfield elementary schools.

The budget must now be approved at a public hearing and meeting at 7 p.m. on June 7 at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School by voters in all eight district towns and then pass a budget validation referendum on the June 12 ballot in all eight towns.

“Should it pass, at that point we have a budget. And that’s what we’re hoping for,” Superintendent Rick Colpitts told the Board of Directors.

Although there have been some adjustments to the budget in the last few weeks, such as a $16,265 increase in diesel for transportation needs next school year and a $32,763 decrease in health insurance, the bottom line remained the same in the end, Colpitts said.

Although the overall local share would be a 6.03 percent increase over last year’s budget and all eight district towns will see an increase in the amount of money they must pay toward the school budget, the impact to the eight district towns varies tremendously. For example, Norway’s share is 9.68 percent or $278,267 of that increase — far more than some neighboring towns such as Oxford, which is being asked to pick up $661 or 0.02 percent of the local share.

Other towns that would pay a high portion of the budget’s local share are Hebron, whose assessment would rise by 9.77 percent or $52,288, and Paris, whose taxpayers would be assessed $198,037 or 9.11 percent of the overall local share increase.

Colpitts recently told selectmen that Norway is carrying the highest percentage of the local share this year because the state valuation of Norway property went up and it is assumed the town can afford to pay more than others. The valuation number is based on a two-year-old number, he said.

Colpitts said that although the district spends less than the state requires under its Essentials Programs and Services model, it has been able to make up that difference the past few years using federal funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. With those funds now gone and a state mandate that says next year the district must pick up 100 percent of the required educational funding under ESP, the towns must now pay a higher share of the costs.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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