HARPSWELL

School Administrative District 75 will present a $38.2 million budget proposal at a series of public hearings this week, starting in Harpswell tonight.

The spending plan represents a $119,105, or 2.14 percent, increase.

Superintendent Brad Smith said the biggest factor driving the budget is the reduction in state subsidy — to the tune of $307,000 — which shifts the burden locally.

Under the proposed budget, the local assessment increases by $1.9 million — or 5.3 percent. Topsham would see the biggest increase in their local share — a 7.19 percent increase; while Harpswell would see the smallest, an increase of only 2.42 percent.

Owners of a typically assessed home in Bowdoin would see a tax bill increase of $125; Bowdoinham a tax bill increase of $138; Harpswell a tax bill increase of $45 and Topsham a tax bill increase of $129.

Smith said Friday, however, that he expects the district will whittle down the budget by as much as $100,000 before approving a budget to send to voters.

“We had over $700,000 in requested additions as administrators talked about what they needed, and I’m only asking for $119,000” for additional expenses, Smith said. “So certainly it’s far less than our administrators would like to be able to have, but I feel comfortable it will allow us to continue the work we’re doing, and add a few things.”

He is proposing to eliminate a teacher position at Harpswell Community School and add an education technician, for example.

There is also a request for a new school bus, which will be paid off over five years, starting at $20,456 for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Smith said the state has not increased funding for school bus replacement for several years, and has raised the amount of mileage for buses to be eligible.

Other budget factors include enrollment patterns, special education, salary and health insurance costs, and increased teacher retirement costs. Changes to the state funding formula could also impact SAD 75’s budget.

All three budget forums this week start at 6:30 p.m. The first will be held at Harpswell Community School tonight, followed by a budget forum at Woodside Elementary School in Topsham on Tuesday night and another at Bowdoinham Community School on Thursday night.

The finance committee will make any adjustments to its proposed budget and present it to the school board April 13. The school board will hold a public hearing May 11 before it is scheduled to approve a final budget. Voters then meet May 25 to set the article amounts and vote the resulting budget up or down in a budget validation referendum on June 13.