HAMPDEN, Maine — The RSU 22 school board approved a $30 million education budget for the upcoming school year during a meeting Wednesday night at Hampden Academy.
The vote was unanimous, Assistant Superintendent Emil Genest said Thursday.
Now that the board has adopted it, the proposed 2017 budget next will go before voters from the member towns of Hampden, Winterport, Newburgh and Frankfort during the annual district budget meeting, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in the Hampden Academy gym.
The budget then will go up for validation referendums in each member town on Tuesday, June 14.
As it stands, the $30,081,235 proposed gross budget developed by school officials is up $532,454, or 1.8 percent, from this year’s budget.
If the budget was adopted as is, $10,738,136 will come from local tax dollars, which works out to $301,189, or 2.89 percent, more than this year, according to Genest.
The local share for Hampden would be $6,291,420, an increase of $178,285, or 2.98 percent, from this year, according to a budget overview developed by school administrators.
Newburgh’s local assessment would be $1,055,312, an increase of $41,891, or 4.13 percent, from this year, and Winterport’s portion would work out to $2,578,119, up $68,147, or 2.72 percent. Frankfort’s $813,284 share would reflect an increase of $12,865, or 1.16 percent.