CAPE ELIZABETH -- At a special meeting last night, town councilors formally approved a 5.3 percent increase in the school budget, setting the stage for a third attempt at validation by residents.

The polls will be open on Sept. 2, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Cape Elizabeth High School. Sept. 2 is also the first day of the school year.

The proposal before voters is a $19.8 million budget, exactly halfway between the two previous proposals that were both turned down by residents.

The proposed $19.8 million budget is $995,000 higher than last year.

Last spring, the school board submitted a $19.9 million budget to the council. The council trimmed the budget to $19.6 million and sent it to voters, who rejected it in a June 10 referendum by a vote of 1,891 to 1,250.

Councilors then restored the budget to $19.9 million, on the theory that voters supported the original proposal. But that budget was also rejected, by a vote of 1,141 to 1,097 in a July 22 referendum.