OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A $12.7 million school budget received its final vote of approval Tuesday.

The Regional School Unit 23 budget was approved 353-125. The budget for RSU 23, which covers just the town of Old Orchard Beach, had received prior approval from the school board and those in attendance at a public budget meeting last month.

The budget proposal is a 3 percent increase from the current year’s budget. The school budget has been estimated to raise the mil rate by about 12 cents. This does not include the municipal budget, which will be approved by the town council later this month.

Superintendent of Schools Lloyd Crocker described the budget as “responsible” at last month’s budget meeting.

Crocker said last month that expenditures the school unit does not control, like salary and benefits, make up 85 percent of the budget. These expenditures have gone up 5.5 percent. The school board has come up with a budget that compensates for this increase in other areas, as the overall budget proposal reflects a 3 percent increase from the current year, he said.

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