OXFORD — The SAD 17 Board of Directors is set to vote Monday, May 6, on a proposed $35.9 million budget.

The spending plan of $35,890,031 represents a 2.07 percent increase from the 2012-13 budget and will require an average 6.5 percent increase in assessments to the eight district towns.

Superintendent Rick Colpitts has said the budget will affect local towns differently. Hebron, Waterford and West Paris may see increases of 4 to 5 percent in their local assessment, while Otisfield and Paris will see an increase of close to 10 percent or more in assessments.

Despite the concern by town and school officials over the effect of the budget on the local share, Colpitts said he was disappointed at the low turnout at the public meetings that began early last month.

“They were not well attended,” Colpitts said of the four sessions for the eight towns in the district. About 10 to 15 people at best attended some of the meetings. No one except officials attended the meeting for Norway and Paris residents.

“It’s frustrating,” he said.

But he said there was a good turnout for town officials from all the eight district towns who met with school officials earlier last month to review the budget.

“We’ve tried to reach out. We’ll continue to,” he said.

With an average 6.5 percent increase in the local share for the coming year, the district is still nearly 6 percent under state minimum assessment, according to the current state funding formula, Colpitts said.

The $1.1 million increase in expenditures includes $419,000 for the district’s share of teacher retirement, $350,000 in negotiated salary increases and $438,000 in health insurance increases.

Colpitts said the budget does not address the current large class sizes in fifth and sixth grades, the local share of approved revolving renovation money, replacing roofs on at least three schools and close to $3 million in other requests, including reinstating the foreign language program at elementary schools.

Following the board vote May 6, a districtwide budget meeting and vote will be held June 6 when residents will be able to approve or reject individual budget items.

On June 11, each town will have a validation referendum to approve the overall budget amount.

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