BETHEL — The SAD 44 board on Monday unanimously adopted an operating budget of $10,271,310 and an adult education budget of $152,259.

The proposed 2013-14 operating budget is about the same as four years ago, Superintendent David Murphy said. However, because of a significant decline in general purpose aid to education, the five district towns will pay more than in the past.

The breakdown is:

* Andover, $494,601, or nearly 7 percent more

* Bethel, $2,680,550, or 5.2 percent more

* Greenwood, $971,709, or nearly 4 percent more

* Newry, $2,790,285, or nearly 2.4 percent more

* Woodstock, $1,014,649, or 2.5 percent more

The 2013-14 budget is up 3.8 percent from this year’s $9,989,269. The amount of state aid has dropped to $704,356, compared to $879,274 for 2012-13.

Murphy said the proposed budget includes about $125,000 for teacher retirement, which had been paid by the state in the past.

The adult education budget is down about $5,000 from this year, primarily because of a reduction in secretarial help.

Included in the proposed budget are increases in bus lease costs and legal expenses, retention of an elementary technology position that had been funded through federal funds, an increase in professional services because of the district’s plan to implement mass customized learning, and salary and benefit increases.

Suggested, but not included, in the final proposed budget was reinstatement of a business manager position, placing $100,000 in the district’s five-year capital improvement plan, and establishing an athletic trainer position.

The board will set the date for a districtwide budget vote at their May 13 meeting. The budget validation vote, which will confirm the figure arrived at during the districtwide meeting, will likely take place in each town June 11.

In another business Monday, the board approved a referendum article requesting that voters act on moving $500,000 from undesignated funds to the capital reserve fund. Murphy said the current capital reserve fund is nearly depleted because of the air quality and energy project under way at the Telstar Middle/High School complex.

In other matters, the board appointed Bethel board member Roberta Taylor to the Region 9 School of Applied Technology Cooperative Board. The seat is currently held by Lynn Arizzi, who is also on the SAD 44 board. Arizzi will be leaving her board positions in June.

Taylor has been a SAD 44 board member for six years. Arizzi has served on the Region 9 board for four years.

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