TURNER — Residents of Greene, Leeds and Turner will vote Thursday on a $30.3 million budget approved by Maine School Administrative District 52 officials for the upcoming school year.
Residents can vote at their respective town offices between 1 and 7 p.m.
The budget is a 7% increase from this fiscal year’s spending plan, primarily due to rising operation and salary costs, in addition to new staff positions.
The district is proposing to add 11 full-time positions while eliminating three.
Residents of Leeds would see a 4.5% increase in their assessment, Greene’s a 3.18% increase and Turner’s a 1.92% increase.
The assessment for each town is determined by its percentage of the total state valuation of the three towns combined. Turner, which has the highest town valuation, will be responsible for collecting the largest portion of local funding of the three towns.
Among the proposed staff additions are three instructional coaches, a districtwide school psychologist, and a second gifted and talented teacher. The instructional coaches will help address learning gaps and behavior at Greene Central School, Leeds Central School and Tripp Middle School in Turner.
Of the $2 million increase, $766,000 is for facilities maintenance, $441,000 is for regular instruction and $396,000 is for special education.
On May 5, less than two dozen residents passed each of the 18 budget articles without amendments. A secret ballot vote to approve $5.2 million more in local funds than recommended by the state funding model passed 13-4.
The additional money will help fund programs and operations not fully covered by the state, including advanced placement courses, cocurricular and extracurricular activities, maintenance and operation of the district’s sewer treatment plant, and special education, according to the district budget guide.
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