“We feel that the budget committee and administrators have worked very diligently to present a budget that will meet the needs of our students as well as the needs of our community,” SAD 46 Superintendent Lester Butler said Wednesday.

A public hearing on the spending plan will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, at Dexter Regional High School. The budget will be presented for adoption at a June 11 referendum in Dexter, Garland, Exeter and Ripley.

Directors are asking residents to raise $298,574 locally without state participation, which reflects an increase of $90,582 over last year’s local option amount. Butler said this is the first time in three years directors have requested an increase in the local option.

The proposed budget of $8,199,988 reflects an increase of $389,378 over last year’s spending plan. It includes the addition of a kindergarten teacher for the Garland Elementary School because of an enrollment increase and includes funds to provide more electricity for the middle school laptop initiative.

To reign in costs, the directors eliminated a middle school teaching position and the curriculum coordinator’s position, reconfigured the special education program to reduce the staff by one full-time position, and eliminated a part-time art teacher, Butler said. They further reduced funding for extracurricular transportation, general supplies, the textbook account for the middle school, and reduced the amount requested from department heads for technology purchases.

In addition to the budget, directors approved a spending plan of $142,472 for adult education. This represents a decrease of $3,583 from last year, Butler said.
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