TOPSHAM

School Administrative District 75’s board of directors Thursday approved a $38.1 million budget — with the understanding that $1.2 million in charter school tuition funding will be cut at the district-wide budget meeting once the bill passed putting those costs on the state, is firmly in place.

The $38,126,427 spending plan would increase the total local share by $1.8 million, or 8.3 percent. However, the plan is for the district to have budget article amendments ready to propose during the district wide budget meeting May 21 that would remove charter school expenses from the budget.

The school board’s finance committee was urged by Bowdoinham selectmen to cut the $1.2 million slated for charter school tuition given that it seemed highly likely LD 131, “An Act to Amend the Laws Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools” was going to pass. As of Thursday, it had passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but had still not been signed by Gov. Paul LePage.

“We’ve prepared two budgets,” Smith said. “My recommendation is that we keep the $1.2 million in until it’s signed, in which case it would be removed if there’s time. If not, it would go into contingency.”

LePage has 10 days to sign the bill, Smith said, and if he doesn’t, it goes into law. The governor has spoken in favor of the bill, so it isn’t expected he will veto it.

Business Manager Steve Dyer will have motions prepared to amend the four articles containing the $1.2 million in charter school funding at the district wide budget meeting.

With the reductions in charter school funding implemented, SAD 75 would be proposing $36,922,143 in expenditures, which increases the total local share paid through property taxes by 2.7 percent, or $558,041.

Dyer said cutting the money for charter school tuition, “is a huge difference. It’s two-thirds of the local share right now.”

He said for the typical home in the district, there would be a $46 increase — as opposed to a $146 increase with the charter school funding included — on the annual tax bill.

During the final public hearing Thursday, Bowdoinham selectman Theresa Turgeon was the only person to speak.

“From my perspective, I have found this whole process incredibly frustrating,” she said. “It has felt to me like we have asked questions and we haven’t got clear answers.

“There are things like the decision Superintendent (Brad) Smith has made, not even entertaining the idea of merging classes as the enrollment is going down,” Turgeon added. “ I think that is shortsighted.”

“Educationally, I’m not going to recommend combination classrooms as a way with which to solve the budget problems,” Smith responded. “Educationally I believe we are better off if we have single grade classrooms.”

There is a combination classroom in Bowdoinham, he said, and if looking to institute them, “ factors would have to line up correctly for us to be able to do that.”

“We do understand that a high increase can and is a burden to many of our taxpayers,” said Linda Hall, chairperson of the Finance Committee. “We do know that and we will continue to be vigilant each year on this budget.”

The district-wide budget meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21, at Orion Performing Arts Center, which will determine a spending plan to be voted up or down at the June 9 referendum.