The Board of Finance Monday trimmed the proposed Oxford school budget by $420,000 and the town budget by $275,000.
The move comes a week after voters rejected the budgets — the first time a budget package has been defeated in Oxford in at least three years.
The budgets — a $25.9 million school budget and a $13.4 million town budget — will be subject to a town meeting tonight (Tuesday, May 24).
A second referendum is scheduled for June 7.
The new budgets trim a half-mill from the mill rate voters rejected May 17.
The Finance Board trimmed items such as overtime accounts and office supplies to reduce the town side of the budget by $275,000.
The reduction in the school budget’s request will mean job cuts and probably program cuts in the school district, school board chairwoman Rose McKinnon said.
“This is a large impact and it’s unfortunate,” McKinnon said.
Finance Board Chairwoman Lila Ferrillo told McKinnon she did not want to cut the schools, but had no choice.
Voters demanded it, by coming out last week 667 – 329 against the school budget, Ferrillo said.
The vote Monday did not come easily — and came after a marathon meeting at Town Hall.
Two members of the finance board voted against the school reduction, but for completely different reasons.
Finance Board member Richard Burke said too much was being cut from the schools’ request, while Finance Board member Tom Kelly said too little was being cut from the schools, compared to the town side of the budget.
The mill rate now proposed is 23.21.
