LIVERMORE FALLS – SAD 36 directors voted Thursday to approve a proposed $9.4 million 2009-10 budget to go to voters at a district-wide budget vote on Thursday, May 28.

That meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Livermore Falls High School cafeteria.

The proposed budget represents an increase of $276,787 over the current $9.2 million budget. The increase is mostly attributed to a $165,000 state penalty for voters in Livermore and Livermore Falls rejecting consolidating with the neighboring Jay school system. Jay voters also rejected consolidation.

Also included in the increase is $100,000 for the Progressive Learning Institute program for students who have dropped out of school between the ages of 16 and 20 and want to return to get a high school diploma.

The program was formerly paid for out of surplus adult education funds and will now be included in the regular school operating budget, interim Superintendent David Wallace said, but there is not enough to cover it next year.

If the budget is approved as is at a final referendum validation vote on June 9, in each town, it would mean a $141,345 increase to Livermore taxpayers and a $135,442 increase to Livermore Falls taxpayers, Wallace said.

That would bring Livermore’s share to $1.8 million and Livermore Falls’ share to $1.7 million.

Wallace moved $122,500 out of the regular budget to be paid for by federal stimulus money the district will receive, he said.

Otherwise, the proposed budget would have increased nearly $400,000, he said.

Items to be covered by the $122,500 stimulus money are:

• $25,000: improvement of instruction.

• $8,000: laptops.

• $1,000: computer program for school libraries.

• $2,000: board miscellaneous expenses.

• $10,000: summer cleaning supplies.

• $4,500: floor care equipment.

• $12,000: grades kindergarten through eighth grade classroom supplies.

• $10,000: grades nine through 12 textbooks.

• $50,000: grades six through eight instruction.

The budget preserves programs and positions at this time with only one open special education technician position that is still under consideration to be filled, Wallace said.

Director Denise Rodzen was the only board member to abstain from voting on the budget. She said, the budget’s wording this year requires her to not vote on the budget. Her husband, Eric Rodzen, is reimbursed $200 annually for the district’s Web site domain. He had set up the Web site several years ago at no cost to the district and paid for the domain with a credit card. The bill still comes to him, she said, and the district reimburses him.

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