SALEM TOWNSHIP — Voters from Avon, Kingfield, Phillips and Strong on Tuesday approved a $9.19 million budget for Regional School Unit 58 for 2016-17.

According to Superintendent Susan Pratt, the budget is $215,943, or 2.3 percent, less than last year.

This year, the school board recommended that $760,827 was needed to pay for athletics, co-curricular activities, transportation, operation and maintenance of buildings and grounds, as well as other costs not considered essential for basic education.

If approved by the four towns’ referendum vote on June 14, individual municipal assessments would decrease.

• Phillips’ share would decrease $1,603 to $844,233;

• Avon’s share would decrease $4,513 to $421,410;

• Kingfield’s share would decrease $33,839 to $1,404,401; and

• Strong’s share would decrease $9,299 to $873,121.

The decreases weren’t solely due to budget cuts, Pratt explained. After many of the teachers in the higher salary brackets left the district last year, replacements were hired for lower salaries. Insurance and fuel costs remained low, and the district unexpectedly received a higher percentage of subsidies from the state’s Department of Education.

The board decided to contract services through Regional School Unit 9. RSU 58 will pay $16,000 to have classes in the district next year, because the district will no longer receive state money for the adult education program.

On June 14, residents will also be asked if they want to continue with the two-vote budget approval process. Pratt said the budget meeting, where the first vote is taken, allows the board and administrators to explain their budget requests in an open forum.

After voters agree on a total, residents in each town will have an opportunity to cast a ballot for or against that amount in a referendum.

Rejecting this two-part system would require the board to have the budget meeting and referendum vote at a single meeting. The two-part system allows more voters to participate, Pratt said. Polls in all towns will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 14.

Budget amounts are: 

• Regular instruction, $3.34 million;

• Special education, $1.7 million;

• Career and technical education, $29,197;

• Other instruction, $168,962;

• Student and staff support, $782,559;

• System administration, $379,120;

• Transportation and buses, $713,331;

• Facilities maintenance, $1.07 million; and

• All other expenditures, $90,226.

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