OAKLAND — When it comes to budgets, Regional School Unit 18 Superintendent Gary Smith agrees with Eric Haley, the head of Waterville, Winslow and Vassalboro schools.

“It’s the worst budget that I’ve had to put together,” Haley, superintendent of Alternative Organizational Structure 92, told the Waterville Board of Education on Monday night.

Smith said he can relate.

The Oakland-based district faces about $1.7 million less in federal and state funding in 2012-13 than it receives now.

“We are getting hit hard,” Smith said.

Smith said he thought the worst was over after last year’s budget process.

Last spring, the public approved a 2011-12 budget just shy of $32 million, which was $1.4 million less than the year before.

This year, Smith said the challenges keep coming.

In a blog on the district’s website, Smith said funding obstacles are unprecedented when it comes to developing a budget that “protects student programming, improves our education system, minimizes job losses, maintains a multi-year planning horizon and communicates our financial challenges before us.”

Smith said that district staff members have been working on a 2012-13 budget for months; he said he plans to unveil the proposed budget, as well as its impacts on taxpayers, to directors on April 4.

The goal, he said, is for the board to approve a budget by May 2.

To save money in the meantime, Smith said a spending freeze is in place and as a result, several field trips have been canceled.

An update on the spending freeze will be presented 7 tonight at the board’s meeting in Messalonskee Middle School.

“As you can imagine, it hasn’t been very popular,” he said.

Wednesday night, directors will also decide whether to approve contracts for teachers through 2013-14 and support staff through 2014-15; the board will also enter executive session to discuss Smith’s contract.

Beth Staples — 861-9252

bstaples@centralmaine.com