FREEPORT – The proposed 2013 budget for Regional School Unit 5 would result in a sharp increase in taxes for residents of Durham and Pownal, according to a presentation to board members last week by Superintendent Shannon Welsh.

If approved by voters of the district, which includes the towns of Freeport, Durham and Pownal, in a budget validation referendum June 11, Durham would see its property tax rate increase by 7.81 percent, and Pownal’s would rise by 6.20 percent. Meanwhile in Freeport, the largest town in the district, residents would experience an increase of 1.69 percent.

According to RSU 5 Finance Director Kelly Wentworth, who was on hand at the March 27 meeting at Freeport High School to explain the 11 articles in the budget after an overview by Welsh, the impact to taxpayers of the two smaller towns is the result of valuation changes at the state level.

“Unfortunately, one thing we can’t control is the state valuation. It’s the biggest factor in how much money needs to be raised by each town to fund the budget,” said Wentworth.

Freeport’s state valuation decreased this year for the first time in the four-year history of the school district, leaving Durham and Pownal to make up the difference, said Wentworth.

By using numbers based on April 1, 2012, town valuations and mil rates used by the state, the assessment impact without changes this year would have been 3.51 percent for Durham, 2.92 percent for Freeport and 3.48 percent for Pownal. However, due to new valuations, the shared cost was not equal, said Welsh.

Maine’s Department of Education uses a funding program called the Essential Programs and Services, which is designed to ensure that all schools have the programs and resources that are essential for all students to have an equitable opportunity.

“It’s important to note that the impact would be the same if we were a standalone school or an RSU. There would be no change,” said Welsh.

The overall recommended budget for 2013-2014 is $25,632,994, which is 2.58 percent more than this year’s $24,900,000 budget due to rising enrollment, loss of state subsidy, and tuition costs for charter high school students, said Welsh.

Welsh said the district would hire three new full-time special education teachers at a cost of $70,000.

“There is a district-wide need for a functional life skills program and a behavioral program at the middle level,” said Welsh. “If we do not provide these programs within the district, the students would be required to attend an out-of-district placement at significantly higher costs.”

The budget proposes to offset the cost of the new hires by having teachers cut one of their planning, non-teaching days. In addition, administrators would take a one-day furlough.

Bucking a statewide trend that has seen enrollment drop in many school districts, RSU 5 is anticipating a 3.7 percent gain next year, said Welsh. The largest increase will be in Pownal, where 15 additional students are expected in the fall. Welsh said the school district’s goal is to target class sizes of 20 students per teacher.

Fourteen RSU 5 students have applied to attend the Baxter Academy for Technology and Science in Portland. The school district is obligated to pay the students’ full tuition, pegged at roughly $110,000, said Welsh.

The district was able to shave $145,000 from the facilities maintenance budget, which includes heating fuel, electricity and debt service.

Other proposed increases include $57,205 in transportation and buses, $13,000 in school administration and $3,088 in career and technical education.

Welsh said the proposed 2.58 percent increase in spending was modest compared to other towns.

At the end of the meeting, Welsh expressed disdain for the state’s plan to force teacher retirement funding onto local school districts, which would increase the budget by an additional $188,336.

“We are responsible for providing a quality education and the state is responsible for helping us do that,” said Welsh. “The state is pushing costs on us. I encourage everyone to contact your legislator and tell them that they can’t do this.”