A possible two percent hike in taxes for Wiscasset’s next school budget is down to 1.3 percent. Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot gave the School Committee the latest numbers Monday night.

She attributed the drop in property taxpayers’ share in the new draft to numbers coming in lighter than projected for retirement and health insurance.

“That’s not much,” member Eugene Stover said about the 1.3 percent. The budget is up six percent over 2016-17, but would have been up seven percent had the projections held, Wilmot said. Unexpected tuition last year, and higher projections this year for tuition and state aid, offset most of the budget hike, Wilmot said.

Vice Chairman Glen Craig suggested cutting the tax hike further by removing $50,000 planned to be added to the contingency or emergency fund; and the $69,500 budgeted for the energy project voters will consider in June. If voters pass the project, the committee could deal with funding the payment after that, Craig argued.

It will pass, member Jason Putnam said. As for the $50,000 toward contingency, Putnam told Craig, among all the taxes raised in a  year, “That’s nothing. You know that.” It isn’t nothing to people having trouble writing a check to pay their taxes, Craig said. No one backed Craig’s proposed cuts. Other panel members expressed support for the funding. Chelsea Taylor said her priority when she joined the committee was to help ensure children get the same good education she got in Wiscasset. Stover said it has taken hard work to restore programs’ quality. “Let’s not do something to knock us off the rails.”

The committee took no action; the session was a workshop. Barring new developments, members saw no reason for another before they vote April 27. Tentative plans call for a 6 p.m. May 15 special town meeting in the Wiscasset Middle High School gym, where residents will vote on the budget piece by piece. The budget that results goes to the polls June 13.

Sixh grade move slowdown

In the business meeting that followed, the panel continued expressing support for a sixth grade move from Wiscasset Elementary School to WMHS; but members told Wilmot they would rather consider it for the 2018-19 school year, not next fall as first mulled. Chairman Michael Dunn said he’s hearing from townspeople the plans are moving too quickly, and he shared that concern. “I would feel better taking it a little slower.” Taylor agreed, but asked Wilmot if WES still had adequate room for sixth grade.

It does, said Wilmot, adding about the move, “We could do a better job with more time.”

The panel expressed interest in still having the 2017-18 budget include the $18,000 for classroom changes to accommodate sixth grade.