OXFORD – The state budget recently approved by the House of Representatives will provide SAD 17 with a $59,000 increase in General Purpose Aid it had not been expecting.

“I think it’s great,” said Assistant Superintendent Mark LaRoach. “There are many school districts that had a net reduction in state aid.”

Superintendent Mark Eastman gave a proposed budget on March 3 to the Budget Committee that showed an overall increase of about 5 percent in local assessments.

To keep the budget at this level, about 200 requests for funding were put into what administrators call the parking lot. The items sit until the Budget Committee finalizes the budget on April 29.

LaRoach said the additional $59,000 could be used to move three or four high-priority items from the parking lot back into the budget.

The committee may move items in and out of the parking lot at its discretion.

Business Manager Cathy Fanjoy said Friday that the committee has already moved $25,000 from the parking lot to the budget for late buses at the elementary schools and $20,000 for the lease purchase of a school bus.

“With these items, the total budget proposed by the Budget Committee is $29,832,556,” Fanjoy said.