PARIS — The Select Board unanimously agreed Monday to table a proposal to study options for education outside of Maine School Administrative District 17.

When members of the audience expressed confusion, Chairman Scott McElravy said, “We want to look at different alternatives.”

“This is only a matter of setting the groundwork,” Selectman Christopher Summers added.

The original proposal directed Town Manager Natalie Andrews to “look for alternative education.” Unsure what she was being asked to do or whether there should be a committee to consider the question, Andrews told the board she needed guidance.

“You start by finding out what towns might be interested,” Summers said. “That’s the place to start because you can’t form a committee until you have all interested parties involved.”

The district includes Paris, Norway, Oxford, Otisfield, Waterford, West Paris, Harrison and Hebron.

School board Chairman Troy Ripley of Paris estimated the distance from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris to the farthest point of the district was approximately 20 miles.

He told the Select Board that he had no issues with Paris seeking alternative educational options. He said other towns had studied the issue, including Harrison recently. He added that the schools in Paris — the high school, the middle school and Paris Elementary School — are not owned by the town, they are owned by the district.

“I encourage you to do it,” Ripley said. “Then you’ll know as painful as this is, that $54 million per year is the pill that we have to swallow.”

The proposed school budget for 2025-26 is $54.7 million, compared to $50.4 million for this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The 2023-24 budget was $47.9 million.

The budget has been an area of concern for McElravy for the past few years and to others on the Select Board.

“I think it’s good to look at possibly having another education system that might listen to the taxpayers more,” McElravy said.

Unsure how to proceed, Selectman Peter Kilgore urged his colleagues to postpone action on the proposal until more information could be provided.

‘This is the first time that I’ve heard of this,” Kilgore said. “I know nothing about it. What are we looking for?”

No date was set for the board will reconsider the issue.