BETHEL — The SAD 44 board on Monday approved an agreement from the Andover Withdrawal Committee spelling out property and financial responsibilities should the town vote to leave the district.
Superintendent David Murphy said the agreement is very similar to the one the district and the committee OK’d late last year. In January, the withdrawal effort fell eight votes short of the two-thirds majority required for passage.
The agreement will be sent to the commissioner of the Department of Education, who will schedule a public hearing before Andover residents vote on the issue.
Andover joined the district in the late 1960s, along with Bethel, Newry, Greenwood and Woodstock.
In 2011, the SAD 44 board voted to close Andover Elementary School, citing the extra expense to maintain the nearly 100-year-old building and a declining student enrollment. There are about 35 students in grades kindergarten to five who attend the school.
Many residents 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 have also cited data that shows that having a school helps economic security.
Since 2011, Andover has paid the district a total of $422,000 — $214,000 for 2011-12, $68,000 for 2012-13 and $140,000 for 2013-14 — to keep the school open. That amount is on top of its approximately $450,000 annual assessment.
The amount to be paid for 2014-15 is $180,000.
Murphy also reported this week that classes were canceled Wednesday because several roads were flooded. The district has lost seven days because of weather conditions. The last day of school is now June 19.
The SAD 44 board will take a first look at the preliminary 2014-15 budget April 28 at the Woodstock Elementary School, Murphy said.
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