Superintendent Heather Manchester has presented a proposed budget for Maine School Administrative District 17 that will not increase spending in 2026-27.

The budget for this fiscal year, which ends June 30, is $54.4 million.

Manchester unveiled the proposal April 8 at the first public meeting on the proposal.

“The school board’s direction was to keep the budget flat,” she said. “We have worked to meet that goal.”

With student enrollments set to drop by 98 in the coming school year, SAD 17 administrators were able to reduce the number of students per classroom and trim staffing. Two open teacher positions and a special education role have been eliminated. Manchester said she hopes the other three and a half positions can be reduced through attrition rather than layoffs.

SAD 17’s assessments to the eight district towns will also be less painful over the next fiscal year. In 2025-26, the assessments for Harrison, Hebron, Norway, Otisfield, Oxford, Paris, Waterford and West Paris rose an average of 22%, leading the state of Maine to decrease the district’s subsidy by more than $1 million — a cost that had to be absorbed by the towns.

This year, average assessment is up 2.3%. By comparison, Oxford’s assessment last year went up 23.9%, but the most recent figure for 2026-27 shows it up by 1.56%. West Paris had the lowest jump in 2025, at 19.3%; the figure for 2026-27 is a decrease of 4.3%.

The facilities maintenance budget — a yearslong target for cuts — would drop by 83% in the current proposal. The savings will be accomplished by using a performance-contract model to replace windows in school buildings instead of purchase-and-install. The savings realized over the next 10 years cover the overall $850,000 expense.

SAD 17 transitioned to all-LED lighting last year and has so far realized $120,000 in savings. And by partnering with the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy, the district has lowered its energy costs by 9% and its use by 12%.

Questions from community members were mostly limited to clarification on line descriptions, special education and about the Maine Department of Education’s formulas to calculate the state’s subsidy for Essential Programs and Services (EPS).

Manchester told the group she recently testified before Maine lawmakers about the financial strain the EPS funding formula puts on rural districts already experiencing economic hardships. If LD 2226, An Act to Amend the Essential Programs and Services School Funding Formula, eventually passes, districts like Oxford Hills’ would see more equitable contributions.

Essential Programs and Services are defined as the programs and resources that are essential for students to have an equitable opportunity to achieve Maine’s Learning Results, according to the state. The EPS formula determines both the state and local share of funding needed for each School Administrative Unit to have Essential Programs and Services.

SAD 17 will hold three more community meetings: Monday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. at Otisfield Community School, 416 on Powhatan Road; Thursday, April 16, at 9 a.m. at the SAD 17 Central Office, 232 Main St. in South Paris; and during the board of directors business meeting May 4 at 7 p.m. at the Central Office.

The final proposal will be shared with voters during a May 20 public hearing at 6 p.m. at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School’s Forum, 256 Main St. in South Paris.

The 2026-27 budget referendum is scheduled for June 9, the same day as the state primary elections.