On Tuesday, local communities will vote not only whether to approve their local school budgets, but also whether to continue the public school vote process.

A state law enacted in 2009 mandated that school districts send their budgets out to a public vote for validation. Every three years, they vote whether to continue the public validation process.

Regional School Unit 23 Superintendent of Schools Lloyd Crocker, who oversees schools in Old Orchard Beach, said he would like to see the public process continue.

Like other regional school units, in Old Orchard Beach, the school budget goes through a three-part process for validation: a school board vote, a public meeting vote, and then a final vote at the polls.

Crocker said that for the past few years, there hasn’t been a huge turnout for the public meeting vote – but it’s still important to give the public that opportunity. He noted there have been years when the budget has been voted down, and the community will voice its opinion if it’s not in support of the budget.

Communities that aren’t in an RSU, such as Saco and Biddeford, must have their school budgets passed by the school board and city council before going out to a public referendum for a final vote.

Saco Superintendent of Schools Dominic DePatsy said the city’s School Board is in favor of the public vote, and believes everyone should have a say on the budget.

Biddeford School Department Jeremy Ray said that sometimes voter turnout can be low, and the public vote brings an extra step in the process as well as an extra cost to municipalities. But it has also brought the budget process more to the forefront and gotten the community more involved, he said.

“It certainly gives the public an opportunity to weigh in,” said Ray.

If a school district votes to discontinue the public vote, it cannot be reconsidered for another three years, according to Joanne Allen, director of school finance and operations for the Maine Department of Education.

According to state law, when a school district has voted to discontinue the public budget approval process, a petition drive with signatures numbering at least 10 percent of the voters in the last gubernatorial election or a majority vote of the school board could get the question on the local ballot again.

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