HODGDON – It took 75 SAD 70 voters a little more than an hour to give the nod to a more than $6.3 million budget during a public vote Thursday evening.
The budget for the 2008-2009 school year will go before district voters during a referendum on June 10.
Only one person opposed an article on the 19-article warrant during the meeting, and there were few questions about the fiscal forecast from those who attended the session.
This year’s budget is up $136,932, or 3.47 percent, over last year.
Thursday night’s meeting was the first in a two-step process mandated by the new school consolidation law. According to the new statute, all school budgets must first be presented in a line-item format to be voted on at a budget meeting. Once the budget is approved, a referendum vote is held to determine whether to approve the action of the meeting.
SAD 70 consists of the towns of Hodgdon, Amity, Cary, Haynesville, Linneus, Ludlow and New Limerick.
Superintendent Robert McDaniel said the district made numerous cuts in order to cope with escalating costs for heating oil for buildings and diesel for buses. Administrators in the district opted to forgo raises this year and also reduced the number of days they work during the school year. The driver’s education program was eliminated, as was one bus run and some sports travel. Cuts also were made to staff training and general supplies.
To be more energy efficient, the district chose to upgrade the lighting system through a program offered by Efficiency Maine.
There are several large projects in the budget, including the cost of resurfacing the gymnasium floor at Hodgdon High School and the financing of a new bus.
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