FRYEBURG — Voters in Maine School Administrative District 72 on Tuesday approved a $24.44 million budget for 2020-21.
All four articles passed by comfortable margins.
SAD 72 includes Fryeburg, Brownfield, Denmark, Sweden, Lovell, Stow and Stoneham. Every town supported the four articles except Brownfield, which narrowly voted against the first three. The Brownfield votes on the first three articles were 20-28, 21-27 and 22-25, respectively.
The vote had been set for July 14, but had to be changed after an error was found in the warrants by the attorneys who prepared them. RSU 72 was one of four Maine school districts forced to rescind their budget questions because of the errors.
In SAD 72, Question 1 on the incorrect warrant authorized $9.9 million in local taxes to be raised to help fund the $21.44 million total budget. The actual local taxes required to fund the budget is $12.99 million, or a $3.05 million difference, leaving the district short.
The school district rescinded the warrants and started the whole process from scratch.
While the budget increased by 3.28%, $680,000 was taken from the fund balance so the amount needed to be raised by taxes would be $300,000 less than last year, Superintendent Jay Robinson said.
In Tuesday’s vote, Article 1 asked voters to appropriate $21.44 million for the budget and raise $12.98 million. That passed 426-125.
Article 2 asked voters to transfer amounts exceeding 5% of the total appropriation of any cost center to another cost center on the 2020-21 budget. That passed 428-103.
Article 3 asked voters to authorize and raise $32,000 for adult education. That passed 410-112.
Article 4 asked voters to authorize a transfer of up to $65,000 from available fund balances to the Capital Reserve Fund to pay for minor repairs at New Suncook School in Lovell and to purchase a truck and sander for Molly Ockett School in Fryeburg. That passed 434-88.
Only four people in Stoneham voted.
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