MEXICO — The Vocational Region 9 board got a first look Thursday night at proposed secondary and adult education budgets, which show slight decreases from the current year.

The Finance Committee presented a secondary budget of $2.107 million, down from $2.138 million in 2012-13.

The Adult and Community Education budget for 2013-14 came in at $311,855, down from $318,909 for this school year.

Public hearings on the budgets were set for 6 p.m. March 20 at Telstar Regional High School in Bethel, and for 7:30 p.m. at the Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Mexico, also on March 20.

A districtwide meeting to vote on the budgets was set for 6:30 p.m. May 1 in the cafeteria of the school. That will be followed by the board’s regular monthly meeting.

Still uncertain are health insurance costs and the amount of Perkins grant money that will be allotted to secondary and adult education programs.

Director Brenda Gammon said the major reason for the slight dip in the secondary budget can be attributed to the use of $80,000 carried over from the previous school year.

In other matters, the board unanimously approved the purchase of a 1995 excavator with four attachments at a cost of $39,000, including the trade-in of a skidder. It will be used by the forestry program.

Most of the cost will be paid by a grant, with the remaining $10,000 to be taken from the student activity account. The machine will be delivered in about a week, with the first payment due in July.

The board also learned that the annual Career Fair for sophomores attending Dirigo, Mountain Valley and Buckfield high schools has been set for March 21. Student services coordinator Cheryl Ellis said people who work in a variety of career fields will make 45-minute presentations about their work and the education they needed to achieve their career goals.

Among the careers represented are public service, education, architecture and medicine. One of the presenters will describe her work through the use of Skype technology. She is a Dirigo High School graduate who now works in space and aeronautics.