Voters representing the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District wasted little time in approving a $9,465,279.85 budget for the fiscal year 2016-2017 on May 4. The budget passed handily after less than 30 minutes of discussion. Al Roberts of Boothbay Harbor moderated the meeting in the Boothbay Region Elementary School gym.

In total, voters passed all 16 articles with the approved total a nearly $247,000 increase from last year’s $9,218,442.36 amount.

The total budget includes regular instruction ($4,067,522.71), special education ($1,463,386.67), career and technical education ($7,500), other instruction ($286,635.43), student and staff support ($786,565.42), system administration ($326,465.81), school administration ($526,251.42), transportation and buses ($440,648.83), facilities maintenance ($1,191,639.66), debt service and other commitments ($278,664) and all other expenditures ($90,000).

“The overall budget was up 2.68 percent in expenditures over the 2015-2016 budget. The majority of the increases were due to increases in salary and benefits for all staff,” said Eileen King, Superintendent of Schools, AOS 98 District. “The final assessment to the towns increased 1.28 percent or 101,823 due to an increase in state subsidy. The administrators and school board work very hard to bring forward a budget that supports the educational needs of our students, but is also fiscally responsible to the taxpayers.”

The budget does not include the cost of adult education, $64,289, which also passed by an overwhelming show of hands.

There was one written ballot question, on whether or not to allow the district to raise and appropriate additional local funds equaling $2,650,535.63 as required to fund the budget recommended by the school committee. The measure passed 45-4.

This amount was necessary, according to the warrant, because of the costs to maintain the student-teacher ratios, special education programming, extra-curricular and co-curricular programs, and transportation.