LUBEC – Voter turnout was heavier here than in most communities Tuesday, but then, this small town had a 2007-2008 $2.1 million school budget to decide.

Lubec voters approved both bond issues dealing with roads and bridges and drinking water. The vote was 147-49 and 133-62 respectively.

Of the 18 budget and nonbudget questions pertaining to the school budget, voters approved all but one – Question 7, the operation of the superintendent’s office and money for the board of directors, also known as the school board.

Going into the election, everything looked good for passage of the entire school budget, unlike in past years. Working with the town’s budget committee and selectmen, the board of directors in May approved a budget of $2,156,080, a 3.4 percent decrease over last year. The board was able to make the cuts in the face of declining state revenues that totaled $81,000 less than last year.

On the local side – that share picked up by property tax payers – the school budget dropped 5.5 percent, or $70,742 less than last year’s $1.2 million local share.

The cuts were made in the face of increases in fuel and electricity costs and salary and benefits.

“The school board worked hard with the town budget committee to craft a budget to reduce taxes while still maintaining a quality school program for our students next year,” Superintendent Mike Buckley said in an earlier Bangor Daily News story.

Even with the cuts, the school board was able to restore the music program to three days a week and continue with a full-time teacher in each class from kindergarten through grade six. They eliminated the industrial art program and a maintenance position. They combined the custodian positions with bus driving.

Last year, the passage of the superintendent’s portion of the budget ran into trouble. Voters did not favor a $203,716 appropriation to fund the office of superintendent and the board of directors. The article was placed before voters in June, August and September, and finally the school board was able to muster enough votes to pass that portion of the budget in October.

Voters sent the same message Tuesday when they rejected a $220,915 appropriation for the office of the superintendent and the board of directors by a vote of 99-84.

This time the school board plans to run past voters a slightly reduced version of Question 7 later this month. The superintendent said Wednesday he has proposed $2,500 in cuts.

Among the cuts: $250 from the travel line for the school board; $500 from the equipment line for the superintendent’s office; and $1,500 from the purchase-professional services part of his budget. The vote will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 27.

After the vote, Buckley was asked what role the governor’s administrative school consolidation plan might have had on the vote.

Under the proposed plan, according to an earlier Bangor Daily News story, districts that decide against consolidation would lose one-half of their subsidies for administrative costs and would see their percentages of the general purpose aid for overall programs frozen at 2008 levels for all time under the amended legislation passed last week.

Included in the Legislature’s approval of the $6.3 million budget for the coming two years is the requirement that the 290 school units now in place be reduced to a maximum of 80 units by next July.

Communities would have until Dec. 15 to submit merger plans to the department.

Asked about the mood in the town, Buckley said. “[They] obviously can see, maybe for a small school, this cost center is higher than they wanted and they want it reduced. … When voters turn down any cost center, then they clearly are unhappy with the number that was proposed and probably want it reduced, and that’s what we’re going to bring. We’re going to bring them a reduction at the public meeting,” he said.

Buckley said the board would talk about the bare-bones budget at the meeting. “There are not a whole lot of places you can go on this cost center,” he said.

On the question of the school’s reserve account, voters Tuesday did approve $85,000 to be spent for new windows and a heating unit in the old elementary wing and $70,000 for a new K-6 playground to replace rusting equipment in the back of the school. The vote was 110-66.