OXFORD – Oxford Superintendent Randy Squier presented his administration’s budget proposal to the district’s board of education Monday night, at the school system’s first budget meeting of the year.

His plan, which endeavors to close the gap between state aid reductions and rising costs, reflected a decrease in spending from the current year of 1.19 percent and would increase the local tax levy approximately 2.5 percent. To achieve that, however, the district will have to both tap into its fund balance and make more than $600,000 in program and staffing cuts.

“It includes cuts and reductions in programs and services throughout our schools,” Squier said, as he discussed the steps he had taken to address the more than $1 million gap between revenues and expenditures which would have existed if the district had rolled over last year’s budget.

According to the superintendent, maintaining the same level of service would require a $401,449 increase in spending, the equivalent of a more than 23 percent hike in the local tax levy.