BETHEL — The SAD 44 Finance Committee on Monday presented the school board with a $10.56 million budget that is 1.86 percent more than this year’s.
Superintendent David Murphy said the 2014-15 spending plan is about $193,000 more than the current budget.
The board will act on the proposal May 12. Voters in Bethel, Woodstock, Newry, Andover and Greenwood will vote on it May 27 at a districtwide meeting, and again at the polls June 10.
If the $10.56 million proposal is approved, assessments would increase 4.7 percent for Andover, 5 percent for Bethel, 4.8 percent for Greenwood, 5 percent for Newry and 5.3 percent for Woodstock.
Murphy said the amount of general purpose aid to education has declined for 2014-15 to $579,000 from $703,000 this year.
The budget reflects staffing changes, including combining the part-time positions of curriculum coordinator, held by Lee Graham, and special education director, now held by Marcie Gray, into one full-time position. It also reflects making the half-time industrial arts teaching position at Telstar Regional High School full-time.
Murphy said no staff positions were eliminated.
The budget includes $122,000 to pay for the recently completed energy and air quality project at the high school.
There is less money in the budget for the Region 9 School of Applied Technology because fewer SAD 44 students are enrolled at the vocational school in Mexico.
A separate article may ask residents to take $100,000 from the capital account to repair the Woodstock Elementary School roof.
In other matters, Murphy said a meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 14 in the Telstar Middle School lecture hall for high school juniors interested in attending Central Maine Community College in Auburn next year. Students’ families are encouraged to attend.
Four students took advantage of the pilot program to earn college credits last year. Murphy said about 10 students are interested in attending in 2014-15.
The program is funded by Project Opportunity, Sunday River Ski Resort and the school district.
The board also accepted the resignation of middle school guidance counselor Joseph Bailey and approved a senior class trip to Canobie Lake Park in Salem, N.H., on June 4.
The next board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. May 5 at the high school.
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