WINDHAM – The proposed school budget for the Windham-Raymond school district, Regional School Unit 14, calls for a 3.1 percent spending increase and the elimination of eight staff positions, as the district deals with the loss of state and federal funds.

Superintendent Sandy Prince presented his preliminary budget last week to the School Board, which will now deliberate on the $38.09 million proposal. A public forum has been scheduled for April 6, and a finalized budget will go to the voters in June.

Prince defended the increase, saying the district has had to withstand the loss of both state subsidy, which was cut by $188,000 this year, as well as federal stimulus money, which helped prop up the school budget the past two years.

Also, for comparison’s sake, Prince said his 2012 budget is $350,000 less than the combined Windham and Raymond school budgets of fiscal year 2010.

“We haven’t had an increase in quite a while and actually the budget is still lower than it was prior to consolidation,” Prince said. “So we keep holding the line every year. But undoubtedly like any district this year, you’re seeing increases for school budgets. But I’ve brought in a reasonable, straight-faced budget.”

In dollar terms, the 3.1 percent increase to $38.09 million is $1.14 million more than this year’s budget. Much of that is a result of higher transportation and heating fuel costs as well as the newly approved 2 percent teacher salary increase.

“Windham is a good value if you compare us to other districts,” Prince said. “You look at our tax base, our mil rate, our per-pupil costs, we’re not over-expending. If you look at Cumberland County we’re doing pretty well for what we get.”

Despite the overall increase, Prince’s budget calls for eight staff positions to be cut, including two teachers and six support staff. A half-time administrative position, the director of Teacher and Program Development held by former Raymond Superintendent Sandi Caldwell, would be cut. Caldwell’s two-year contract, which was extended just before consolidation by the Raymond School Board, expires June 30.

Some of the cut positions were originally created using federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, Assistant Superintendent Donn Davis said, “and we’ve lost that federal funding.”

While school board members have yet to publicly debate the superintendent’s budget, Toby Pennels said the budget figures are a “moving target, which is still unsettled.” He said, “people in the district are hurting, and that (3.1 percent increase) may be too much.”

Another school board member, Marge Govoni of Windham, said the superintendent’s budget is a good one.

“I feel the administration in this district have been conscientious in how they’ve handled the budget,” she said.

Govoni notes that the district has lost a total of $1.8 million in state subsidy in the past three years, “so while the state subsidy has decreased drastically, we’re doing well to keep the costs down for local taxpayers.”

The budget process began Wednesday, March 23, for school board members, who were presented budget specifics by department heads. On April 6, the public will be able to comment on proposed changes at a public forum starting at 6:30 p.m. at Raymond Elementary School. On April 13, the board again deliberates and then votes on the budget.

On June 1, the public will meet at Windham High School and get a chance to offer final comment prior to a vote. At this meeting, the public can choose to add to or remove items from the school board’s budget. The final budget then goes to voters in a district-wide ballot on June 14.