With the start of the new school year next week, Barre hopes to shake off its outsider position among Vermont schools.

The district, which includes Barre City and Barre Town, still does not have an approved school budget after voters rejected three different proposals this spring.

At a meeting Wednesday night, the school board approved a budget plan that would increase taxes in Barre City by less than 1% and in Barre Town by about 2.8%. Voters will consider the proposal, which would cost $56.8 million, on Sept. 17.

JoAn Canning, the district’s new superintendent, said in an interview Wednesday that her focus will be on engaging the community to gain support for the latest plan.

“We seem to have a lot of interest from the community to get involved in the schools, which I think is great,” she said. Canning, who has four decades of experience in education, called such interest “unusual.”

About a third of all school budgets statewide were rejected on Town Meeting Day in March, a stark contrast to the otherwise overwhelming voter support. In the months that followed, one district after another approved the spending plans until only Barre remained.

Across Vermont, voters have signaled they cannot stomach the property tax increase planned for this year. The latest figures show that the average property taxpayer’s education spending will increase by about 14%. When schools first proposed their budgets, the increase was nearly 20%.

In Barre County, however, the latest proposal calls for a much smaller increase. And compared to neighboring districts like Montpelier and Paine Mountain, Barre spends less per student.

Still, there is disagreement within Barre’s panel over how much the district’s budget should be: one group is calling for further cuts, while another is already unhappy with the more than $2 million cut since the first citizen vote in March.

“I understand that my efforts and support for a reduced budget proposal will be perceived by some as harsh criticism,” Barre School Board member Nancy Leclerc said at Wednesday’s meeting. But if criticism means carefully examining the budget, “then I accept that label,” she said.

Sonya Spaulding, a board member who opposes further cuts, argued that existing cuts would negatively impact students.

“To say this won’t have an impact on students is a travesty,” she said. “That’s a lie you’re telling yourself.”

Districts like Barre, which are starting the new school year without a budget, still receive funding from the state and can take out loans to get by on a budget of up to 87 percent of the most recently approved spending plan.

Barre will likely have to borrow money ahead of the upcoming budget vote, Canning said, which would entail additional costs in the form of interest payments.

Canning, who took the top job at Barre’s schools this year, entered a district in transition. About 50% of the administrative team has changed, she said, and the departures included the principal of Spaulding High School and the co-principal of Barre Town Middle & Elementary School.

Since she is joining at such an uncertain time, Canning said her priority was to “try to get to know each board member individually.”

She also took her time submitting a fourth budget to the board for approval. That plan, which included cuts of over $900,000 from the previous proposal, would eliminate funding for some positions and consolidate responsibilities for others. The board had also previously voted to make greater use of one-time tax stabilization funds to reduce tax rates.

As the board debated whether or not to implement Canning’s proposals Wednesday night, the mood was tense. School staff spoke of the stress of starting a new school year amid looming uncertainty. Some members argued that the budget, which calls for $56.8 million instead of the $58.9 million originally proposed, would need to be further cut.

Ultimately, however, the plan was approved by ballot, giving the decision-making power to the voters.

“I’m just going to encourage the people who support the budget,” said Michael Boutin, the panel’s chairman. “Support the budget. Make it clear to everyone that you support the budget.”