DIXFIELD — RSU 10 Superintendent Tom Ward told school board members Monday night that $37.7 million in requests have been submitted for the 2013-14 budget.

“This is what has been presented. Now we begin the cutting stage,” he said. “At the next board meeting, we’ll come back with proposed cuts and the impact on each town,” he said.

He planned to meet with all administrators Tuesday morning to begin discussions.

This year’s budget is $35.1 million, minus a state curtailment of about $170,000. Ward placed a freeze on all nonessential purchases and overtime when the governor announced the curtailment in 2012-13 state aid.

Ward said as of now, he is expecting that RSU 10 will receive about $1 million more in General Purpose Aid to education for the upcoming school year, but whether school districts must pick up a portion of the state’s share of teacher retirement has not yet been resolved. There is a 13 percent hike in the cost of health insurance premiums, he said, which means the district must pay about $500,000 more in 2013-14.

The district offered a retirement incentive for qualified teachers and so far very few have taken advantage of the offer.

“We need a Plan A and a Plan B,” he said of the 2013-14 budget. It will be developed at the next board meeting April 22 at the Central Office in Dixfield.

On April 29 the board hopefully will approve a budget, he said.

Public hearings on the budget will be held May 21 in the Buckfield region, May 22 in the Dixfield area, and May 23 in the Rumford-Mexico area.

A districtwide meeting and vote is set for May 29 and a budget validation referendum for June 11.

RSU 10 towns are Canton, Carthage, Peru, Dixfield, Byron, Roxbury, Mexico, Rumford, Buckfield, Sumner, Hartford and Hanover.