The residents of Holden, Clifton and Eddington will soon be asked to approve the SAD 63 2005-2006 budget. The school administrative district administration would have the voters believe they are asking them to approve an increase of $400,868 or 5 percent over last year’s 2004-2005 budget of $8,015,930.

This would be true if the district was spending at the 2004-2005 budgeted level. However, the district is spending under the budget by $232,000 and will only spend $7,783,923 for fiscal year 2004-2005. Taking the under- spending into account, the actual increase being asked for is $632,875, an increase of 8.1 percent not 5 percent.

SAD 63 received from Maine an increase of $771,860 over last year’s state financial support. The plan was that the increase be shared between the taxpayers and school districts with a goodly share of the increase going to the taxpayers to decreased property taxes. The SAD 63 2005-2006 spending plan only passes $142,993 or 18.5 percent of the state’s increase to the taxpayers.

The school administration is telling the voters they are getting $450,000 back in tax relief, which is true, but fails to tell them that $232,000 was raised from last year’s property taxes and that money is already in the bank, with only $142,993 coming from state funding. It does not appear the local taxpayers are getting their fair share of the $771,860 increase given to the school district.

In the last four years, SAD 63 expenses have increased by $2,191,500 or 35.2 percent from $6,225,000 to $8,417,000 while enrollment has deceased. It is time the school district seriously deals with how to spend less and still provide quality education.

Schools must be made to understand that taxpayers are not their personal ATM machines and money is not available at their beckon call. A no vote on the budget at your local town election will send that message.

Richard Oravetz

Holden