PARIS — About 60 voters from the Oxford Hills School District approved a $35.1 million budget Thursday night at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Forum.

A validation referendum will be held June 12 at polls in the eight district towns.

Several parents questioned the advisability of sending Harrison prekindergarten-through-grade-two students to Waterford Memorial School and students in grades three to six from Waterford to Harrison Elementary School. The plan would save about $95,000 in fiscal year 2012-13, which begins July 1.

Harrison parent Jessica Haggerty and several other parents questioned Superintendent Rick Colpitts for about 45 minutes about the plan. She asked about the fairness of the process, the cost of transportation for parents who drive their children to school and the effects of the move on children academically and physically.

“We are not a private school. We are a public school,” SAD 17 board member Barrie Patrie of Waterford said. “We have to work with the funds and facilities. We have to best serve the students of our entire district.”

Colpitts said the plan is one way the district was able to come up with a budget of $35,162,603, which is only $511,811 more than this year’s.

Other savings include $38,000 from reducing a half-time principal at Otisfield Elementary School and having a shared principal for Oxford and Otisfield elementary schools.

The budget is 1.48 percent more than the current year. Local assessments are $964,616 more. due to reductions in federal and state general purpose aid, school officials said.

Expenditures approved were:

* $4,051,489 for special education.

* $3,076,124 for career and technical education.

* $592,014 for other instructional expenses.

* $2,227,908 for student and staff support.

* $642,354 for adult education.

* $3,684,265 for career and technical.

* $693,036 for system administration

* $1,832,367 for school administration

* $2,369,726 for transportation and buses

* $3,717,447 for facilities maintenance

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