Freeport-area voters approve school budget

 Residents of Freeport, Pownal, and Durham vote on the 2027 Regional School Unit 5 budget on May 13. (File) [](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) _[Read all of our coverage](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the [Maine Political Report](https://www.pressherald.com/mprnewsletter/) in your inbox or [text messages](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/11/maine-political-news-sent-right-to-your-phone-sign-up-for-text-alerts-from-our-editor/) from politics editor Kirby Wilson._ Residents of Freeport, Pownal and Durham approved a [$47.6 million Regional School Unit 5 budget](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/27/freeport-area-schools-pass-47-6-million-budget/) for the upcoming fiscal year on Election Day Tuesday. According to combined unofficial results from the three towns, the budget passed with 3,738 “yes” votes and 1,503 “no” votes. The approved budget represents a 7.1% increase in spending compared to the previous fiscal year. Salary and benefit increases and special education costs were significant cost drivers. Related [Freeport-area schools pass $47.6 million budget](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/27/freeport-area-schools-pass-47-6-million-budget/) Towns can expect tax hikes of 5.4% in Durham, a 3.9% increase in Freeport, and a 5.8% increase in Pownal. Absent from the budget was [the repurposing of Pownal Elementary School](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/12/under-budget-challenges-pownal-elementary-school-could-be-repurposed/), which officials had planned to convert into an early childhood pre-K and preschool center. OTHER LOCAL REFERENDUMS AND RACES In Durham, Anne Ware, who was running uncontested, was elected to the RSU 5 school board. In Pownal, Melissa Jordan beat out Meaghan Arena, 309-283, to win a school board seat, according to unofficial results Tuesday night. Voters who fall within RSU 5, Brunswick School Department and School Administrative District 75 also voted on a bond referendum for Region 10 Technical High School, allowing the school, which serves several Midcoast communities, to issue about $116,000 in bonds for safety improvements to its Brunswick campus. All three towns within RSU 5 approved the Region 10 measure, though vote counts from all the towns impacted weren’t immediately available Tuesday night. [](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) **The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor **We believe a community must be informed to thrive. [**bowdoin.edu**](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [election 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/), [Times Record](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record/), [Times Record News](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record-news/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley) [Katie LangleyStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley) Katie covers Brunswick, Bath and Freeport for the Times Record. She was previously the weekend reporter at the Portland Press Herald and is originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. [More by Katie Langley](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley)