SAD 63 residents to weigh continuing budget validation

HOLDEN – At the same time SAD 63 residents are voting on the school budget in June, they also will cast their ballots on whether to continue the budget validation referendum vote, Chairman Don Varnum announced at Wednesday’s school budget hearing.

The validation referendum vote has been required for the last three years and was requested by residents of Holden, Eddington and Clifton, which comprise the district.

“According to the state law, every three years that budget validation referendum process has to be revalidated,” Varnum said, adding later: “Basically a yes vote will retain it for another three years and a no vote will abandon it after this year.”

If voters decided to discontinue future budget referendum votes, a three-year ban on the process also will go into effect, Varnum said.

During Wednesday’s budget hearing, only 10 residents were in attendance and few questions were asked. Business manager Yvonne Mitchell went through the budget, the same one provided to the public during the April school board meeting, line by line, ending with good news for residents of the district.

The town of Clifton is expected to pay $4,057 less for education; Eddington’s bill should be $52,680 less and Holdren residents should see a decrease of $80,271, she said.

The proposed SAD 63 budget for 2006-07 is $8,663,410, an increase of $246,612 or 2.93 percent.

The following is how the individual budget lines are projected to increase or decrease under the draft 2006-07 budget:

. Prekindergarten through eighth-grade instruction increased by $318,352 from $2,752,648 to $3,071,000.

. Instructional support decreased by $7,678 from $315,961 to $308,283.

. Leadership increased by $38,206 from $792,419 to $830,625.

. Operations increased by $86,682 from $561,657 to $648,339.

. Transportation increased by $29,343 from $484,441 to $513,784.

. Other commitments decreased by $218,293 from $3,509,672 to $3,291,379.

The annual budget meeting is 7 p.m. June 8 at Holbrook Middle School and this year’s validation referendum vote is June 13.