The support Wiscasset has shown its schools has School Committee Chairman Steve Smith feeling confident about the next budget’s chances with voters.

In separate phone interviews Friday, he and Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot commented on the $9.02 million budget that goes to a school committee vote on Thursday, April 28, then faces two rounds of town voting.

The committee meets at 6 p.m. in the Wiscasset Middle High School library.

Smith said he completely supports the budget. He expects the committee will pass it without changes and that the town will pass it later this spring.

Voters approved a multi-million-dollar hike in education spending two years ago, after the town left Regional School Unit 12, Smith noted. “So I believe the town of Wiscasset definitely supports the school department, and I think they will pass it,” he said about the next budget. It’s six percent higher than this year’s. Officials have projected hikes in staff pay and health insurance costs.

“I think people really need to understand that, to not increase the budget, involves a lot of cuts.” The proposal avoids that, and aims to provide the best education possible for the best dollar, Smith said.

The budget lays off no one, Wilmot said in response to questions. One administrative assistant job in facilities and transportation will go, in a reduction-in-force, or RIF,  but that does not put anyone out of a job, Wilmot said. It’s been vacant since a mid-winter resignation; efforts to fill it were unsuccessful, she said. Now the work that came under that job will be added to the facilities and transportation director’s duties. The budget expands the director’s job from three days a week to five.

Job expansions at the middle high school have also survived budget workshops. The athletic director and assistant principal jobs Nate Stubbert holds are each proposed to go from quarter to half-time; and an alternative education teaching job would go from part to full-time.

Wilmot said the public survey that yielded the community’s priorities last fall gives her confidence in the process all budget decisions underwent; so does the thorough approach she asked the administrative team to adapt to, and all the good questions the school committee asked along the way, she said.

“So I’m really excited that all of their hard work has come together,” Wilmot said.

For a look at the full proposal, visit www.wiscassetschools.org.

Also Thursday night, the committee will look at the idea of Wiscasset students possibly playing football with Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98. The Maine Principals Association would need to approve the arrangement, Wilmot said.