RUMFORD — The Regional School Unit 10 board of directors approved a $33.26 million budget for 2023-24, sending it to a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 22, at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School.

The amount is $2.31 million, or about 7.5%, more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Assessments to the seven district towns will increase an average of 1.95%. Roxbury’s will go up 3.43%, Buckfield’s 3.38%, Hanover’s 0.45%, Hartford’s 0.75%; Rumford’s of 2.39%, and Sumner’s 1.28%. Mexico’s will go down 0.46%.

Before the board’s vote, Chairman Greg Buccina of Rumford said the 1.95% average increase was “a pretty reasonable number.” He congratulated Business Manager Leah Kaulback, Superintendent Deb Alden, the administrative team and board members, saying they “met and exceeded the expectations” for the budget.

The district’s share of the Region 9 School of Applied Technology adult education budget is $249,049. The Region 9 board of directors will vote on its secondary and adult education budget at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the school at 377 River Road in Mexico.

The RSU 10 annual budget meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. Voters will go to the polls in their towns June 13 decide on the budget.

Also on Monday, Director Jeff Sterling of Rumford said Mountain Valley High School senior Carlyssa “Carly” Baker was awarded the 2023 Maine Principals’ Award from the Maine Principals Association in recognition of her academic achievement and citizenship. Baker, a student representative on the school board, thanked Principal Tom Danylik for nominating her and advised the board of current events at the high school.

In other business, retired RSU 10 educator and African American historian Adelaide Solomon-Jordan told directors about her volunteer work teaching elementary school students at Rumford Elementary School about some lesser-known African Americans. They included aerospace engineer Lonnie Johnson, who created the Super Soaker water blaster, and Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American to hold a pilot’s license.

Soloman-Jordan also showed and talked about several children’s books about African Americans and their achievements. They included “Mae Jemison” by Eric Braun about the first African American woman to fly in space, and “Dear Benjamin Benneker” by Andrea Davis Pinkney about the first African American deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River.

In 2021, Gov. Janet Mills signed an act making teaching African American history a requirement for graduation, Soloman-Jordan said. “So, even though it’s volunteer work that I’m doing, all of our teachers at some point will be teaching African American history.”

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