The school budget has been presented after weeks of analysis and discussion by the Scarborough Schools Leadership Council and Board of Education. A vote on the budget will occur on June 27 at Scarborough High School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available at the town hall Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to officials, the expense increase of 5.78 percent is due to the rate of inflation. The three operating budgets of K-12, Adult Education, and School Nutrition are proposing expenses of $64.6 million, a $3.5 million increase over the previous fiscal year. The expenses are greater mostly due to the cost of staffing agreements as well as hiring further necessary staff.

The proposed budget, in addition to maintaining the current level of service and programs in the district, allow for further resources, according to school officials. The budget will allow the district to serve the needs of students with special needs with individualized programming, retain elementary and secondary school emergency relief grants, and improve language accessibility for new Mainers. The budget will also allow increased literacy support and opportunities to address learning gaps and provide education in SEL to K-8 students.

State funding has increased by just under $1 million, improving the overall net operation budget by 4.42 percent to $54.3 million. The capital improvements budget is mostly funded through municipal bonding and is budgeted for $140.5 million. The majority of this, $137.5 million, is budgeted for the K-8 School project that is up for vote in November.

To address equipment and infrastructure, energy improvements, roof restoration, security and access management, flooring replacement, and HVAC repairs and replacements, just under $3 million is being budgeted.

For more information, visit www.scarboroughschools.org/board/budget.