HAMPDEN, Maine — Voters from the Regional School Unit 22 member towns of Hampden, Newburgh, Winterport and Frankfort gave their initial approval to a $29.5 million spending plan for local education during their annual district budget meeting Thursday in the Hampden Academy gym.
Superintendent Rick Lyons said Friday that 57 district residents attended the meeting and approved all 19 warrant articles as presented.
The district meeting was the budget’s last stop before it moves on to the budget validation referendum on Tuesday, June 9.
The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations: Hampden Municipal Building, Newburgh Elementary School, Samuel L. Wagner Middle School in Winterport and Frankfort Elementary School.
According to Lyons, the $29,548,782 gross budget developed by school officials is up about $560,000, or 1.9 percent, from this year.
However, state revenue increased by $408,000, which helped offset the cost increase, Lyons said last month while providing a budget overview.
To further offset increasing expenses, school officials came up with more than $317,000 in budget cuts, including adjustments related to retirements, the elimination of an interpreter and an elementary teacher, reductions to an English language teaching position and a high school foreign language position and a high school education tech post, the budget overview shows.
If the RSU 22 budget proposal is validated at the polls, the local share for Hampden will be $6,113,135, up 1.62 percent from this year, according to a budget overview developed by school administrators.
Newburgh’s local assessment will be $1,013,420, an increase of 1.63 percent from this year, while Winterport’s portion will be $2,509,973, an increase of 0.24 percent. Frankfort’s $800,419 share will be 0.66 percent more than this year.