YORK COUNTY — The $40.8 million 2018 fiscal year budget for Regional School Unit 57, which includes the towns of Shapleigh, Limerick, Alfred, Waterboro, Lyman and Newfield, passed 866-544 in a five-town ballot on Tuesday.

The budget passed 81-36 in Shapleigh, 84-44 in Limerick, 147-94 in Alfred, 152-55 in Lyman and 379-279 in Waterboro. It failed 23-36 in Newfield.

The budget is up just slightly more than one-half of 1 percent from the current year, despite a projected decrease in state aid of more than $920,000.

RSU 57 Director of  Finance and Operations Colin Walsh said in a May interview that the Finance Committee 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.

An approximately 3 percent increase would have translated into a much higher tax increase, he said, larger than the board felt taxpayers could absorb.

The increase in expenses was pared down to 0.55 percent, about $224,000.

Voters in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel approved a near $45.8 million budget for Regional School Unit 21, which educates students in the three towns, on Tuesday. In Arundel, 173 voted in favor of the budget, with 72 voting against it. In Kennebunk, the budget passed 1,170-514 and, in neighboring Kennebunkport, voters approved the budget 329-98.