The Scarborough School Board made some last-minute changes Thursday to a $42.5 million school budget that is heading to a town-wide referendum Tuesday.
The adjustments were necessary after the Town Council voted 4-2 Wednesday to reduce the spending proposal by $587,000. The final proposal for 2014-15 represents a 7.6 percent proposed spending increase on education from the current fiscal year.
Town councilors had pushed for a smaller school budget in order to hold the overall tax rate increase for next year at 3.5 percent.
School board members Thursday agreed to reduce spending by about $387,000 and to make up the rest of the reduction by taking an additional $200,000 out of a surplus reserve account. The spending reductions did not include any layoffs or program eliminations, but will reduce the number of positions to be added, said the school department’s director of business and finance, Kate Bolton.
The school board has hoped to restore a variety of full-time and part-time positions totaling 10.5 full-time equivalents, although it’s not clear how many will stay in the budget after the latest reductions.
The district lost 40 positions in 2011 and 2012, according to Bolton. Positions on the list to be restored ranged from a middle school world language teacher to guidance staff at the high school.
The budget proposal now goes to voters for approval. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building on Route 1.
John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at:
jrichardson@mainetoday.com
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