BUXTON — Voters in School Administrative District 6 towns will cast ballots Tuesday, Aug. 11, on a $51.3 million school budget in a validation referendum.

The five district communities are Buxton, Standish, Frye Island, Hollis and Limington.

The budget for the upcoming school year is up from $49.8 million, representing a $1.4 million increase and a 2.8% hike, the district’s business manager, William Brockman, said this week.

Brockman attributed the rise to salary increases and $500,000 added to the budget for COVID-19 expenses “to make and keep students and staff safe.”

Eight full time equivalent positions were cut from the budget, he said.

The budget was adopted July 30, according to an election notice signed by a majority of the district’s board of directors. The validation referendum usually occurs in June but was delayed this year because of budgeting factors related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Buxton and Standish polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Buxton voters will cast ballots at the Town Hall, 185 Portland Road. For an absentee ballot in Buxton,
call the Town Clerk’s office at 929-6171.

Standish will vote in the Fire Department vehicle bays at the Standish Municipal Center, 175 Northeast Road. For an absentee ballot in Standish, call 642-4678 or 642-4713.

The district has an enrollment of about 3,600 students and it covers 182 square miles, according to its
website. It has six elementary schools along with its middle school in Buxton and high school
in Standish.