DIXFIELD — Regional School Unit 10 directors took a first look at a $38.43 million for 2016-17 on Monday night.

It’s 4.7 percent more than this fiscal year, but Superintendent Craig King said he is aiming for a 3.5 percent increase. The budget will be considered at the April 25 board meeting.

Included in the proposal are three part-time secretary positions for the elementary schools and extending last year’s new teaching positions at Meroby, Dirigo and Rumford elementary schools.

Once the board approves a budget, public hearings will be held at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at Dirigo High School in Dixfield and May 19 at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School. A districtwide budget vote is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 25 at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. The amount approved at that meeting will be presented at a referendum in each town June 14.

The school calendar for 2016-17 was approved and includes two teacher-only days and two student days prior to Labor Day, King said.

The board adopted a new policy that provides directives for high school students who want to graduate early. King said all students must meet proficiency standards rather than completing a certain number of academic credits.

Student enrollment as of April 1 is 2,564, down slightly from 2,608 in October of 2015, the superintendent said.

The board approved:

* Outing Club trips to the Appalachian Trail in Newry on May 27 and 28, and to the Flagstaff area June 15 and 16;

* Rumford Elementary School fifth grade trip to the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Bryant Pond on May 16 and 17;

* Dirigo High School Ecology Club trip to the coast of Maine on June 23 and 24;

* Mountain Valley High School Project Graduation trip to Mt. Cranmore in New Hampshire;

* Dirigo High School Project Graduation trip to Mt. Cranmore;

* Buckfield Junior-Senior High School Project Graduation trip on the Songo Queen in Naples;

* Buckfield Junior-Senior High School eighth-grade trip to Boston on May 26 and May 27;

* A one-year sabbatical for teacher Melissa Underwood for 2016-17;

* Creating a half-time district literacy coach;

* Hiring John Giambattista as a bus driver/custodian at Mountain Valley Middle School and Nicole Witas as a special education educational technician at Dirigo Elementary School.

The next board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. April 25 at Hartford-Sumner Elementary School in Sumner.