The city of Lewiston will hold the referendum for the 2012-13 school budget on May 15. I hope voters will send a message to the School Committee and the City Council of “no more spending.”

The proposed increase of $1,999,915 ($85 less than $2 million) is not an acceptable budget for taxpayers.

In the expenditures column, nine categories are asking for more money, and only three have shown minor decreases in their needs.

If I divide $54,514,764 by 175 school days, it comes up to an expenditure of $311,512 per school day. Lewiston estimates there will be 5,232 students in 2013 and if you divide that into $54,514,764, the figure is more than $10,400 per year for each and every student in the city of Lewiston.

The bottom line is that at today’s budget (without inflation), it will cost $125,033 to give each student 12 years of schooling.

According to No Child left Behind reports, Lewiston High School graduates certainly do not shine with success, even after all of that money is spent. According to the 2011 NCLB report, the goal was 80 percent of the students graduating, but only 60 percent did make it.

With that being said, I hope voters of Lewiston join me in voting “no.”

Joseph Roy, Lewiston