JAY — Voters in the three RSU 73 towns will be asked to consider a $18.59 million school budget for 2012-13 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, in the cafeteria of the Spruce Mountain Middle School.

Registered voters attending the meeting will have a chance to increase or decrease the proposed budget, which reflects a $145,467 decrease from the $18.7 million spending package voters rejected in July. This is the third go-round for a budget. Voters also rejected an $18.8 million plan in June.

The pattern has been a small turnout of voters in the districtwide town-meeting-style budget vote, and a budget passes there. It is at the yes-or-no validation vote at the polls that more people turn out and a spending plan has been shot down twice.

School is set to begin at the end of August, and district authorities are hoping to have a budget in place.

Superintendent Robert Wall pointed out to the board Thursday that Jay’s cost for education has decreased significantly since 2004, when Jay raised $10.6 million for education compared to $8.16 million last year. The latter number factors in a cash balance that helped keep the budget down. There is less of a cash balance from each town in this budget year, but it is still more than $300,000 for each one. The cash balance was raised when Jay and RSU 36 in Livermore and Livermore Falls were separate school systems. They consolidated on July 1, 2011.

Under the failed $18.7 million budget, Jay was estimated to raise $8.7 million for the proposed budget, Livermore, $1.68 million, and Livermore Falls, $1.38 million. Jay has a higher valuation than the other two towns and receives less state subsidy to offset local tax dollars. Livermore and Livermore Falls receive more state subsidy, which does go to help offset the spending plan.

The total of tax assessments prior to adding in the state subsidy is $11.8 million for three towns, using the district’s information provided for the $18.7 million budget proposal. The state subsidy anticipated under that proposal was nearly $5.5 million. It is $98,648 less than was received last year. The district also took a hit when federal monies were discontinued and fewer students from Fayette decided to tuition to the three-town district.

The new numbers for the assessments for the new budget voters set Tuesday will be available once they are known. District voters will go to the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at voting places in each town to validate the dollar amount set Tuesday.

Wall said he will give a presentation on what the effects on the towns will be if the $18.59 million budget proposal passes, prior to voting at Tuesday’s district-wide budget meeting.

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