MEXICO — Over 30 residents representing 16 towns that are part of the Region 9 School of Applied Technology approved a $2.4 million budget Wednesday night for the coming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The amount is $17,082 more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The career and technical education school will also receive $353,057 in local assessments, mostly from Regional School Unit 10 in Rumford, Maine School Administrative District 44 in Bethel and Regional School Unit 56 in Dixfield.

The school provides 12 courses including automotive technology, computer technology, culinary arts and outdoor skills and leadership programs for high school students from Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury, Hanover, Bethel, Newry, Woodstock, Greenwood, Dixfield, Canton, Carthage, Peru, Andover, Byron, Gilead and Upton.

Voters on Wednesday also approved an adult education budget of $425,784, or $4,096 less than this year.

Before voting began, residents elected Oxford County Commissioner Dave Duguay of Byron as moderator and Region 9 Assistant Director Jenn Whittemore and Business Administrator Dawn Leahy as clerks.

During the board of directors meeting after the budget vote, Region 9 Director Brenda Gammon said the school purchased land in mid-April, mainly for the school’s Outdoor Skills and Leadership program.

The property is a little over 15 acres, she said, includes a field and a wooded area and provides access to Little Concord Pond State Park in Woodstock. It also includes a camp that will have to be remodified to comply with the American with Disabilities Act for classroom use, Gammon said.

She also updated the school’s two construction projects. On Tuesday, the school visited the site of the culinary arts building project. The welding building construction is to start next week, she said.

Adult and Community Education Director Dave Murphy told directors, “A top priority for adult education this year has been to grow the program to attract additional participants.”

He also noted that the lack of reliable and consistent transportation for students often “poses a significant challenge for potential participants,” and that the program is working to establish relationships with nonprofit agencies to create a satellite building site that would be closer to larger population areas.

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