HOLDEN, Maine — Residents of the RSU 63 member towns of Holden, Eddington and Clifton gave their final approval to a $9.7 million education budget during validation referendums conducted Tuesday in each of the three communities.
The 2015-16 spending plan reflects an overall increase of $217,676, or 2.28 percent, from this year, district budget manager Kelly Theriault said earlier.
Factors that came into play while developing the budget included the loss of $183,315, or just over 4 percent, in state funding.
Among the cost increases the district is obligated to fund are contracted raises for staff, workers’ compensation insurance, electricity and tuition for high school students as well as its part of the AOS 81 budget, which is shared with Community School District 8’s member towns of Amherst, Aurora, Great Pond and Osborn.
Theriault said last month that Holden’s share of the proposed school budget works out to $2,753,970 — up $67,946 from this year.
Eddington’s portion amounts to $1,665,748, $62,654 more than this year, while Clifton’s $729,445 share reflects a $14,511 increase.
Combined, member town voters passed the budget 220-95. Holden’s vote was 96-50, Clifton’s tally was 32-20, and in Eddington, the approval vote was 92-25.