OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A $12.6 million proposed Regional School Unit 23 budget received its first approval Tuesday night.

The RSU 23 board gave its initial approval, without comment, at Tuesday night’s meeting at Old Orchard Beach High School. The vote was unanimous, with board member Millie Tuttle absent.

The budget will now go to a regional, Town Meeting-style vote on May 14 at Old Orchard Beach High School at 6 p.m.

At this meeting, residents will vote on the budget by 11 individual cost centers. Residents can vote to increase or decrease the cost centers, but cannot vote to approve specific programs, staff or other expenditures.

If a budget is approved at the May 14 meeting, it will go for a final vote at a town-wide referendum on June 10.

This is the first budget for Old Orchard Beach as a one-town school board since the formation of RSU 23 in 2009.

The budget marks about a $1.6 million increase from the town’s share of the RSU budget in the current fiscal year.

The budget is a “needs-based” budget, said school board Chairman Gary Curtis, who added that the district is playing “catch up.”

There will be two public information workshops on the proposed budget at Old Orchard Beach High School on April 28 and May 5 at 7 p.m., according to Curtis.

The RSU 23 board is currently comprised of two Old Orchard Beach residents, four Saco residents and one Dayton resident. Three new Old Orchard Beach board members were voted in earlier this month, and will begin serving along with the two current Old Orchard Beach board members on July 1, after Saco and Dayton have officially left the RSU.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or [email protected].