ANDOVER — A town vote to withdraw from SAD 44 failed to get the two-thirds majority necessary for passage Tuesday.
The unofficial vote was 238 yes and 131 no. The measure required 246 yes votes to pass.
The balloting topped a hard-fought, two-year effort to leave the district, which includes Bethel, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock.
The withdrawal effort began after the district voted to close Andover Elementary School in 2011 to save money. Voters raised $214,000 over and above their school assessment to keep it open in 2011-12, and $68,000 the following year to continue to keep it open in 2012-13.
Andover Elementary School serves about 35 students in grades kindergarten to five.
Many residents, including those on the On Our Own Committee, want to keep the students in town, prevent long bus rides to other schools, and maintain a sense of community, which they say the school provides. Some also cited data that shows that having a school helps economic security.
The Andover Withdrawal Committee, headed by Selectman Susan Merrow, worked with consultants for the past couple of years to develop an educational program for the town’s children. That plan was approved by the state Department of Education at the end of November.
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