OXFORD – A less-than-expected amount of state aid ultimately led the Oxford Board of Education to adopt a revised school budget Monday that is less taxpayer-friendly than the original spending plan it approved earlier this month, district officials say.

The board unanimously adopted a $17.1 million budget for 2008-09 Monday that will raise school taxes an estimated 6.5 percent. The budget reflects a 4.1 percent increase in overall spending from last year, bringing the school tax levy to $265,720.

That translates into district property owners paying $19.50 per $1,000 of their assessed value, up from $18.31 per thousand a year ago. District officials, however, say that number per thousand could decrease by August.

“I’d love to have it be 4.5 percent. But if that means losing educational value for Oxford, I’d have to let the public deal with that,” said board member John Godfrey at the meeting Monday night. “The kids will be all right (under this budget). The taxpayers may have to take a little bit more of a bite, but we can’t know for sure until August.”

August is when assessments come in, school Business Manager Harold Covey said, and historically the levy percentage has gone down 1.5 to 2.5 percent after the numbers are readjusted. The school also expects federal aid to come in by then, which could bring taxes closer to their original goal.