OXFORD – SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman is urging voters to get out and vote today.

Voters in the eight towns served by SAD 17 will be asked to approve the district’s $35.4 million budget for fiscal 2008. Voters in Norway, Paris and Oxford will be voting at their local fire stations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Polls for Otisfield voters will be at the town office from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In Waterford, voters will cast ballots from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the municipal building; West Paris from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the town office. Harrison and Hebron voters will cast ballots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their town offices.

The budget reflects a continuation of all-day kindergarten for the second year, the addition of a gifted and talented program, expansion of the foreign language program in the elementary schools while maintaining existing programs.

The SAD 17 ballot contains nine articles that ask voters to raise funds for the school and adult education budgets, authorizes the school to expend the total school and adult education budgets from those sources, authorizes the vocational region’s operating, debt service and adult education budgets, and authorizes expenditures of funds from grants and other sources.

Eastman said he is concerned that some voters may not be as focused as they should be on the school budget this year because of the emphasis on the school consolidation plan.

“The statewide consolidation discussions have served to deflect attention from the need to fund essential programs for our students,” Eastman said in a statement released late last week. “Our local increase of 2.88 percent is very responsible considering fixed cost increases.”

The state approved the consolidation plan late last week, which is expected to see SADs 17 and 39 in Buckfield merge.

Eastman said he was informed Monday that the Department of Education will hold a public meeting on what the plan means to SAD 17 at 7 p.m. June 26 in the Forum at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Paris.