FREEPORT

Voters in Durham, Freeport and Pownal will decide whether to approve Regional School Unit 5’s spending proposal at the ballot box Tuesday.

Voting takes place in the following locations, according to each town’s municipal website:

— Durham: Voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Durham Community School, 654 Hallowell Road.

— Freeport: Voting is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Freeport High School gym, 30 Holbrook St.

— Pownal: Voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Mallett Hall at 429 Hallowell Road. Voters will also elect one selectman and a member of the cemetery commission.

The total expenditures for the RSU under the spending plan stand at $29.49 million, with about 80 percent, or more than $23.7 million, paid for through local taxes.

In a joint statement encouraging residents to vote, the RSU 5 board wrote: “The challenges we faced this budget cycle included decreases in state funding, increased state requirements, and changing student needs. The proposed school budget is 7.77 percent higher than last year.

“Approximately 4.2 percent of the increase is due to rising costs alone, without any change to instruction. … The remaining 3.57 (percent) of the increase allows the district to make needbased changes to instruction in our schools.”

Spending includes a $219,570 interest-only payment on the high school renovation bond, which is estimated to save $1.2 million over the next 20 years.

Here is the local impact of the proposed spending plan, according to updated figures provided last week from th RSU’s finance director:

— Freeport’s share of the spending would increase from $15 million to a little more than $16.5 million, or about 9.7 percent.

— Durham’s share would increase from $4.2 million to a little more than $4.7 million, or 11.45 percent.

— Pownal’s local share would increase from $2 million to nearly $2.5 million, or 13.57 percent.

The spending plan adds an intervention specialist at a pre-kindergarten program at Durham Community School; an intervention specialist at Freeport Middle School; a part-time, RSUwide math specialist; two additional custodians; increased nursing hours at Morse Street and Pownal Elementary schools; increased hours for the principal, guidance and teaching support staff at Pownal Elementary; and additional staff to support students with special needs.

A first-grade teacher was added for the Morse Street School in Freeport during the town-meeting style gathering that was the first phase of the public approval process for the spending plan.

Overall, that meeting approved $150,000 in additional spending.

Prior to that meeting, spending had been estimated to increase 7.2 percent.

Updated figures on the impact on local tax rates were unavailable by deadline last week, however, under the 7.2 percent increase, Freeport’s tax rate would have increased from $15.80 per $1,000 of assessed value to $16.91. Durham’s tax rate would have increased from $16.65 per $1,000 of assessed value to $18.15. Pownal’s tax rate at 47 percent valuation of $34.80 per $1,000 of assessed value would have increased by about $3, according to rough estimates provided by the town clerk.

When & where

VOTING ON TUESDAY takes place in the following locations, according to each town’s municipal website:

— Durham: Voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Durham Community School, 654 Hallowell Road.

— Freeport: Voting is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Freeport High School gym, 30 Holbrook St.

— Pownal: Voting is from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Mallett Hall at 429 Hallowell Road.