Wiscasset School Department had budgeted for the school resource officer, but school officials said selectmen’s decision to offer voters it on the municipal side of the budget again this year dropped the school budget by $27,132.

The money would have covered the school time portion of a patrol job in the Wiscasset Police Department, officials said. Instead, the budget offer the School Committee passed April 28 leaves it out. The new development puts the proposal at $8,995,276, according to revised numbers the department released.

The school budget voters will consider at a special town meeting is now 6.32 percent higher than this year’s, down from a 6.6 hike when the school officer’s job was part of it, Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot said.

The budget meeting is tentatively set for 6 p.m. May 25 at Wiscasset Middle High School, officials said. Residents will weigh each piece of the budget and can change the dollar amounts. The budget then faces a second vote, at the polls June 14.

Two more years

The committee on April 28 had a brief closed-door session down the hall before returning to the Wiscasset Middle High library and agreeing to extend Wilmot’s contract from the current three-year deal. She’s agreed to work another two years, at no extra pay, Committee Chairman Steve Smith said.

Smith praised Wilmot’s decision on the pay. Wilmot said later that, from the outset, she has wanted to serve a community long-term, and the longer contract is consistent with that plan.

Frequent changes in superintendents make it hard for a department to maintain momentum, Wilmot said.

Wilmot is still in year one of her service, making $94,524 for budget year 2015-16. Year two pays $97,744; year three, $101,524. Then she’ll stay at the $101,524 salary for both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 budget years.

Energy audit

The committee hired Siemens of Scarborough for an energy audit of the department’s buildings. The audit will include the buildings’ heat, air conditioning, water fixtures and lighting, officials said. If Wiscasset later hires Siemens for work on the buildings, the audit will roll into the performance contract, Wilmot said. Otherwise, the department has to pay Siemens $14,986 for the audit, she said.