OXFORD — A Paris resident was told by SAD 17 Superintendent Rick Colpitts on Monday night that the local share requirement of millions of dollars in grants the district has received or applied for is not paid by local taxpayers.

“It’s a common fear,” Colpitts told Mike Risica, who came to the school board meeting to express his concern over the taxpayers share in the grant proposals.

“It’s great to get the grants but sometimes we just have to say we can’t afford it,“ Risica said.

Colpitts said the local share requirement is met through existing materials and staff already in place.

“We allocate things already in the budget for the local share. We’re not raising additional local money,“ Colpitts said.

For example, the district received a $3 million Physical Education Program grant. The local share requirement is met, for example, by using salaries of existing staff that will participate in the grant program or perhaps by materials already in the budget that will go toward the program needs.

In other business, the board approved using funds from food service set aside to update technology, added an education technician III position to the Rowe Elementary school that was already budgeted, and approved a plan for the Hebron Station and Otisfield Community schools that describes such items as curriculum goals.

The board also accepted monetary gift from Bob and Sandy Bahre to support the district’s efforts to provide professional development in the areas of science, technology engineering and math.)

The $10,000 gift follows the failure of the district to fund the professional development initiative through a federal grant application, and two weeks after the board accepted an $8,000 gift from the Bahres to create a school vision.

That committee will begin work in January. It will include three members of the Oxford Hills School District board of directors, Colpitts said Monday night.

“Bob and Sandy understand the potential of this initiative and its impact for students, and wanted to provide some seed money in hopes that other local businesses and individuals would contribute as well,” Colpitts said before the meeting.

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