WATERBORO — The RSU 57 school budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is up just slightly more than one half of one percent, despite a projected decrease in state aide of more than $920,000.

Voters in the six-town district approved the $40.8 million school budget proposal at the RSU 57 District budget meeting Tuesday night.  It is the first of two steps that voters have in the decision. The second comes at the validation referendum June 13.

RSU 57 Director of  Finance and Operations Colin Walsh on Wednesday said the Finance Committee of the RSU 57 Board of Directors learned of the change in the  formula — and the ensuing projected decrease in subsidy — in mid-February and began looking at ways to cut expenses.

In most years, expenditures increase around 2.5 to 3.5 percent, said Walsh. But he said that would have translated into a much higher tax increase — larger than the board felt taxpayers could absorb. So the board managed to pare down the increase in expenses to 0.55 percent, about $224,000.

“The Finance Committee deliberated over the needs of the district and approved reductions in all areas, including staff, through attrition,” said Superintendent Larry Malone in a statement. “The board-approved budget is mindful of the financial impact to the local  taxpayer, while providing a quality educational structure reflective of the current needs of the district.”

RSU 57 includes Alfred, Limerick, Lyman, Newfield, Shapleigh and Waterboro.

Walsh said there was a change in how some federal funds are considered, in calculations for student-pupil ratios and the removal of a calculation for system administration in the state formula.  Declining enrollment also played a role, he said.

Walsh said some cuts were made through attrition — staff members leaving for retirement or for other districts won’t be replaced.

Other cuts include deferment of some maintenance work and a reduction in debt service.

“This is a short-term fix for a state-created problem,” Walsh said.

He said the district had hoped the projection might change during the current session of  the Legislature, but the session won’t wind down for some time, and voters must cast validation ballots on the budget on June 13.

According to figures supplied by RSU 57, the district spent $12,000 per pupil in the 2015-16 school year, while the state average was $12,939.

Passage of the budget will impact taxpayers in each of the communities differently.

Alfred’s share of the budget will increase by 6.72 percent, or by about $176,000. It would result in an increase of $28.09  on a property valued at $100,000.

Limerick’s increase is pegged at 4.75 percent, or $143,000, which translates into a $21.42 increase on a $100,000 property; Lyman, up 4.53 percent, or by $195,300, would see a $22.39 increase on a $100,000 property; Newfield, at a 4.69 percent or $85,700 increase, would add an extra $24.81 to a $100,000 property; Shapleigh, up 5.42 percent, or $200,100, would have a tax increase of $13.17 on a $100,000 property; and Waterboro property owners would pay $29.82  more in tax on a $100,000 property, with the their assessment up 4.04 percent, or $325,000.

RSU 57 is not the only school district to lose some of their state aide due to the formula change — Walsh said MSAD 6, Bonny Eagle School District and RSU 55, which includes Baldwin, Cornish, Hiram, Parsonsfield and Porter, are also poised to lose some of their state funding.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.