FARMINGTON — RSU 9 directors voted Tuesday to set the 2014-15 budget at $31 million. It will go to voters on June 2.

The weighted vote was 736-115. In the district’s case, state law requires each director’s vote to be weighted based on his or her town’s population divided by the number of directors.

The proposed spending package is about 4.3 percent or $1.29 million more than the current $29.7 million budget. The 10 towns will see a higher percentage increase in their assessments because of the district losing $410,315 in state subsidy and towns will also have to pay a total of about $220,000 in next year’s budget to work toward getting the full amount of the state’s share under the funding formula.

The proposed budget is $394,218 less than the initial proposal of $31.4 million.

Directors Ross Clair of Chesterville and Richard Hargreaves of New Vineyard opposed the vote. Directors James Black of Wilton and Bill Reid of New Sharon were absent.

Directors also approved a $372,111 adult education budget for 2014-15 by a 810-41 vote, with Hargreaves opposed. It is $98,920 less than the current budget.

At the beginning of the meeting, administrators presented an overall $407,718 decrease from the initial proposal of $31.4 million.

Directors voted 618-233 to add $13,500 to the plan for an after-school shuttle bus to increase it from two days a week to four days. That would allow more students at the high and middle schools and the Cascade Brook School, all in Farmington, to get academic help and participate in athletics or other after school programs.

Directors Mark Prentiss of Industry, Jennifer Zweig Hebert of Starks, Angie LeClair of Wilton and Ross Clair were opposed.

An effort to add $30,000 to the budget for an additional half-time guidance counselor at the middle school failed. Administrators and staff had initially said they would try it for one year with the current guidance person and assistant principal/athletic director taking care of the needs. The sixth-graders from three elementary schools will attend the middle school in 2014-15. That means that the current fifth- and sixth-graders at three elementary schools in Farmington, New Sharon and Wilton will move to the middle school. The middle school will have grades six, seven and eight.

Superintendent Tom Ward said the guidance situation will be watched carefully. If necessary, they can either make changes within the current district personnel to provide more guidance or come back to the board to use money from contingency to increase the guidance services.

The board voted unanimously to set the districtwide budget meeting and vote for 7 p.m. June 2 at the high school and to set the validation referendum in each town for June 10.

Directors also voted 801-50 to have open warrant articles for the first vote to allow voters to either decrease or add to the budget figures. Prentiss was opposed.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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