PERU — Directors of Regional School Unit 56 will hold a public workshop on the upcoming budget at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at T.W. Kelly Dirigio Middle School in Dixfield.
At its meeting Tuesday, the board began discussions on the proposed $13.15 million spending plan for 2020-21, which begins July 1. It’s $440,000 more than this year’s $12.71 million.
Assessments to Canton, Dixfield and Peru would decrease 0.20%, 2.28% and 0.14%, respectively, under the proposed budget. Carthage’s assessment would increase 23.64%, according Superintendent Pam Doyen said.
Assessments for 2019-20 increased an average of 11%.
Doyen said an increase in state funding “was very helpful” in lowering the average assessment to the four towns to 1.94% for the coming year.
The state subsidy for the comping year is $6.32 million, compared to $6.06 million this past fiscal year. It includes an increase of $5,500 for transporting special needs students to Margaret Murphy Centers outside the district and $1,200 more to print budget referendum ballots.
The board plans to vote on a budget at its meeting Tuesday, April 14. It plans to send it to voters June 9.
Voters passed this year’s budget in January on the fifth referendum.
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