PARIS — SAD 17 school board members voted to present its proposed budget for $42.9 million for voter referendum in July. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings there will be no public hearing ahead of the referendum.

Two directors who serve on the school board’s budget committee, Scott Buffington of South Paris and Kathy Laplante of Harrison, spoke before votes were cast to express their dissatisfaction with it.

Laplante said there were new measures on the budget that are not necessary to implement as people are struggling financially because of the pandemic and faltering economy.

Buffington said his reasons for opposing the budget stem from reviewing recommendations made by District Management Group, which conducted a study three years ago to identify areas where the district needs improvement. Among those recommendations is a fifth specialty block for a computer and technology curriculum to each school, which is to be funded in the 2021 budget. But Buffington felt that it would be prudent to focus first on other, less expensive recommendations before introducing a new program.

“There are areas within the district where staff is not utilized in the most appropriate manner,” Buffington said. “We should address those mistakes before we create another new level of programming and expense. I don’t it’s the best utilization of tax dollars at this time. It’s the most expensive recommendation and given what’s going on with the economy I believe we need to bring forward a budget that will be the least impactful on the community.”

Superintendent Rick Colpitts countered that some of the measures Buffington mentioned were indeed lower cost but had already been implemented. Adding the fifth specialty gives educators blocks of time to dedicate to intervention for students who have struggled with distance learning since March.

Director Kristin Roy of Otisfield spoke strongly in favor of the budget, stating that students’ families are taxpayers in their communities as well. She said that the job of the Board of Directors is to think about students first and they have a moral obligation to ensure kids are provided with safety, food and educational support. She pointed out that school budgets were drastically cut in 2009 during the last recession and that funding has never been adequately restored.

“I understand the current environment we find ourselves in,” said Roy, who also sits on the school budget committee. “A lot of people are hurting. Everyone talks about the taxpayers. We are here to address the needs of our students. Students will return to school having faced trauma, hunger. They need services and teachers who can address their needs.”

The Board approved the budget to go before voters in SAD 17’s eight communities. Laplante and Buffington were the only directors to vote against it.

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