MEXICO — The Regional School Unit 10 board on Monday tentatively agreed to eliminate 32 professional and support staff positions, about a third of them involving retirees.

When combined with other reductions, the cuts would reduce make the proposed 2012-13 budget 3 percent higher than the current year. Some board members, however, want to see that number reduced to 2.5 percent.

Superintendent Tom Ward will bring another set of recommended reductions to a board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 30, at Mountain Valley Middle School. Those reductions, he said, would not include further staff cuts.

The proposed budget for the 12-town district stands at just over $35 million, up from $34.1 million for this year fiscal year that ends June 30.

Positions slated for elimination are:

* Special education — a Dirigo High School teacher, a Meroby Elementary School teacher, and three educational technicians.

* Buckfield Junior-Senior High School — one science teacher and one social studies teacher at the junior high, and one-half English and one-half world language at the high school.

* Meroby Elementary School — three educational technicians.

* Mountain Valley High School — one social studies teacher.

* Hartford-Sumner Elementary School — one sixth-grade teacher.

* Dirigo Middle School — one-half physical education teacher, and one  sixth-grade and one seventh-grade teacher.

* Rumford Elementary School — an early kindergarten teacher.

* Mountain Valley Middle School — one-half physical education teacher and one sixth-grade teacher.

* Dirigo High School — learning lab teacher, one science teacher and one educational technician.

* Technology — one technician.

* Transportation and Maintenance — one part-time maintenance employee in the Mountain Valley region, one full-time maintenance employee in the Dirigo region, one half-time maintenance employee in the Nezinscot region, and three bus drivers/custodians districtwide.

* Secretaries — one half-time receptionist and one half-time transportation worker.

* Food Service — one secretary, one four-hour-per-day worker at Mountain Valley High School, one 5.5 hour per day worker at Mountain Valley Middle School, one three-hour per day worker at Dirigo Middle School, and one 5.5 hour per day worker at Dirigo Elementary School.

In addition, the following transfers have been proposed, all from Mountain Valley High School: one half-time physical education teacher to Mountain Valley Middle School, one half-time world language teacher to Buckfield High School, and one half-time science teacher to Dirigo High School.

Ward has said that the school system has not had a budget increase for four years. The higher budget is the result of built-in increases.

“This is a stressed budget,” he said. “We have not been able to develop a carryover.”

He asked for several more part-time positions, which the board tabled until the April 30 meeting. He also proposed a fee for students who take part in athletics.

Nearly 75 people, mostly RSU 10 employees, attended Monday’s board meeting.