LISBON — The School Committee will hold a special meeting Nov. 17 to decide on a 2015-16 school budget to recommend to the Town Council.

The committee must make a recommendation soon because ballots need to be ordered by Dec. 16, Superintendent Richard Green told the committee Monday night.

A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for Dec. 15, after which the Town Council will vote on a budget recommendation that will go before voters on Jan. 12, 2016.

Green offered some options to the committee to add revenue to the budget, given that the amount raised from taxes for education spending can’t be higher than what has already been committed by the Town Council.

Green suggested the committee could look at using the bond money left from the construction of the new high school gymnasium and track to pay down the interest on the bonds, in addition to reimbursing the school department for some items from last year, such as attorney fees, litigation expenses and an invoice from the architect.

Green also suggested including the energy savings rebates the school system has received. Typically these would go into the Unanticipated Funds account for use the following year, but the rebates could go into the Undesignated Fund for use this year, he said. Anything over the $118,000 already budgeted from the Undesignated Fund account could be used, he said.

“Another option is using the capital reserve,” Green said, adding that the money used from this account would have to be reintroduced the following year.

In other business, committee members commented that the open house at the new gym Sunday was well attended.

“The new gym is so impressive, ” resident Dot Fitzgerald said. “I commend everyone. It’s a credit to our community and an investment in our future.”

Four buses were vandalized Oct. 31, according to Facilities and Maintenance Director Allen Ouellette. The total damage was estimated at $700, and damage to a pickup truck was estimated at $800, he said. The vandals were caught and are from another town. One of them accidentally “butt-dialed” 911, which is why they were caught, he said.

Parent attendance for conferences at Lisbon Community School were nearly 100 percent, according to Principal Robert Kahler. Attendance at the Philip W. Sugg Middle School was also high at 81 percent, Principal Darren Akerman said. Parent-teacher conferences at Lisbon High School will be held from 2:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Principal Nicholas Gannon.

The committee unanimously voted to approve the second year of a grant for the Unified Sports Basketball Program and the budget process calendar for the 2016-17 school year.

A tentative date of Feb. 1 has been set for the committee’s presentation of the following year’s school budget.