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Cumberland and North Yarmouth voters approved a shared $56.7 million school budget on Thursday, advancing the spending plan to a budget validation referendum in June.

The budget was initially pitched at $57.9 million in March. Following input from the community, the Maine School Administrative District 51’s board of directors and staff trimmed it, cutting items including new classroom furniture, bus monitors, funding for a joint enrollment study and special education equipment to reduce the plan by 2.1%.

Kim Vine, vice chair of the school board and chair of the finance committee, thanked the community for its input over the past two months.

“Your input challenged us to ask better questions,” said Vine.

“Heads butted at times, but the mission from the majority of the people who were coming is something that I also really respect, and that is to include the burdens of all taxpayers in the decision-making,” she said.

The $56.7 million budget is 5.46% higher than this year’s spending plan.

At the district budget meeting on May 7 at the Greely Center for the Arts, some residents said the budget is still too high and that if it was not reduced further, it would be voted down at the polls in June. Last June, North Yarmouth voted against the school budget, but it ultimately passed because of support from Cumberland voters.

A group representing concerned taxpayers in Cumberland and North Yarmouth proposed several amendments aimed at reducing spending. The 114 voters in the auditorium ultimately rejected all the proposed amendments by a show of hands.

Voters approved all of the 17 proposed articles. Residents from both towns will have the chance to vote on the overall budget again at the polls on June 9.