The Maine School Administrative District 17 Budget Committee meets Sept. 4 at the Central Office on Main Street in Paris. Members unanimously agreed to recommend a $50.43 million budget to the school board, which the board approved Monday night. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

PARIS — Directors of Maine School Administrative District 17 voted 14-3 Monday night for a third proposed budget of $50.43 million.

It eliminates another $360,150 for this school year, for a total overall reduction of close to $1.18 million from the original proposal.

On Sept. 4, the Budget Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the budget to the board.

It was presented Monday by Superintendent Heather Manchester.

The budget eliminates an assistant principal position from Paris Elementary School, reduces supplies and benefits expenses at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, defers maintenance to Oxford Elementary School and staggers the cost for video cameras in school vans over a period of three years.

“To meet Maine learning standards, you can’t [follow the old tradition of] the three R’s,” Manchester said. “It requires lots of different subjects be taught.

“And our students’ needs are such that we have to get them ready for learning, as well. We have significant student needs that require more staff, social workers, counselors and administrators to address.”

One example of increased student needs and a threat to education is chronic absenteeism. Manchester said SAD 17 made concerted, more aggressive efforts over the past year that have improved student attendance over the past year and include more parent contacts, home visits and closely managed individual student plans.

“We’ve reduced chronic absenteeism by a significant amount,” she said. “We continue to work on that. Kids will not be able to learn if they’re not in school.

“It takes people to work with families to get their kids back in the classroom,” she said. “It takes a concerted strategy. Prior to the pandemic, chronic absenteeism was around 20%, which wasn’t good, but then it shot up and we’re working to bring it back down.

“It’s important to note that we have not cut student support services (like nursing and counseling) or other instruction, which includes extracurricular learning. If this budget doesn’t pass, those are the areas where we to look next,” Manchester said.

Director Donna Marshall of West Paris indicated she could not support it unless it contained planning and funds for school maintenance.

Director Christie Wessels of Paris said with Oxford Hills residents balancing their own tight budgets and incomes, she was concerned that the overall budget was still too high. But when given the opportunity by Chairperson Troy Ripley of Paris to propose amendments to reduce the bottom line, Wessels declined.

Paris Director Doreen Simmons voted against the budget without comment.

Directors Curtis Cole of Norway, Vice Chairperson Kitty Winship of Waterford, Mike Newcomb of Otisfield and Mark Heidmann of Harrison were not in attendance.

Harrison’s second director’s seat has been vacant since Rose Lacasse stopped attending meetings but never resigned. Lacasse’s term expired in June. No Harrison resident ran for election and no new director has been appointed by the town.

The board unanimously approved a public hearing and vote on the budget for 6 p.m.  Sept. 19 at The Forum at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School on Main Street. Terry Hayes of Buckfield will be the moderator.

If voters approve the spending articles, a districtwide referendum will be held Oct. 8 at polling stations in Norway, Paris, Oxford, Otisfield, Harrison, Hebron, West Paris and Waterford.

The school district’s budget process has been complicated by attempts to stop deferring building maintenance and repair that coincide with school construction planning to replace Agnes Gray Elementary School in West Paris and Oxford Hills Middle School’s two campuses in Paris and Oxford.

Residents of West Paris have been rankled since February when Agnes Gray school was abruptly closed for multiple building and safety issues.

When planners articulated that to maximize Maine Department of Education’s financial support, elementary schools in four towns would likely need to be consolidated into one, residents of those towns determined to hold on to community school independence joined West Paris’ opposition to consolidation.

Voter discontent spread to overall budget opposition. The first proposed budget of $51.5 million was rejected in June in part because of its 7.5% increase over the previous year, but also because it included an extra $2 million request for capital improvements.

With the $2 million capital fund, along with $819,000 in district operations cut, voters rejected the revised $50.7 million budget, largely by turnout in Harrison and West Paris, towns that would be most affected by possible elementary school consolidation.