Mascenic will have a default budget for the next school year – a move that the School Board was advocating for – after an operating budget that had been cut by $1 million during the district’s deliberative session failed at the polls Tuesday.

A series of petition articles, including putting a tax cap on school spending, eliminating the superintendent’s position and establishing a Budget Committee, also failed to gain majority support with voters in Greenville and New Ipswich.

After the cut, the proposed budget was $20.45 million, leaving the default budget the higher of the two at $21.15 million. The final vote on the budget was 748 yes to 1,098 no. Both towns supported the default option, with Greenville voters more than 2-1 against the proposed budget in a 209-91 vote. In New Ipswich, the gap was narrower, but voters still rejected the budget by a 1,098-748 margin. 

Mascenic senior Aurora Sousa was at the polls on Tuesday, advocating for the default budget and for the failure of the three petition articles.

“I’m trying to get word out so a decade from now, I don’t have to say the diploma I have is from a school that is closed,” Sousa said. “I want to protect people’s education.”

Jesus Cantu Trevino was also at the polls, campaigning for a position on the School Board and speaking to residents in support of the petition articles, which he helped author. He said significant tax increases were taking food from family’s tables, and that the School Board needed to “rethink its mission and goals.”

Trevino lost his bid for the three-year School Board seat to Timothy Somero, with Somero gaining 696 votes to Trevino’s 421.

Voters in Greenville were strongly against proposals to have a district Budget Committee, which would be in charge of drafting the budget rather than the district’s current model of an advisory committee, which makes recommendations to the School Board.

Greenville voters were against forming a Budget Committee in a 216-80 vote, while New Ipswich voters were against in a 915-599 vote, for a total of 810 yes votes, and 1,131 no votes. This article gained the least support of any article Tuesday.

District voters were also in favor of retaining its superintendent, turning down an article that would have eliminated the position and assigned the duties to existing personnel. Voters in Greenville were against the proposal 224-74, and in New Ipswich the vote was 850-688, for a total of 762 for and 1,074 against.

A proposed tax cap of 1.2% gained the most support of any of the petition articles, but still did not break a majority, when a three-fifths majority would have been required to pass. Voters in Greenville voted 204-95 against implementing a tax cap, while the vote in New Ipswich was narrower, with 715 yes votes to 815 no votes, for a total of 810 yes votes and 1,019 no votes.

The only articles on the warrant which passed were a proposal to add $150,000 to the district’s school repair and maintenance capital reserve and accepting the district reports. The funds will be taken from the unreserved fund balance from 2024, rather than raised by new taxes. It passed with 1,195 in favor and 605 against. It was supported in both towns.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.