Election clerk Joan St. Hilaire hands Jason Fuller a ballot Tuesday as Jim Cogan, left, waits for his turn to vote at Longley School in Lewiston. Fuller and Cogan voted on the Lewiston school budget. St. Hilaire has been helping out at the polls since the 1970s when her father, Lionel Potvin, served on the Lewiston City Council. “He got me started in this,” St. Hilaire said about her father. “I enjoy it. You meet a lot of people.” Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
LEWISTON — Residents approved a $101 million school budget by referendum vote Tuesday, 397-192.
In total, 590 votes were cast, more than the 369 votes in 2022. According to city election data, a little more than 2% of registered voters in the city participated.
The approved budget is a 3% increase from the current spending plan of $98.8 million and a tax rate increase of $1.34. The owner of a property valued at $200,000 will pay an estimated $268 more in taxes next year.
Residents were also asked to indicate their opinion on the budget in a second, non-binding question. One hundred and seventy-five people said they felt the budget was “acceptable,” while 208 said it was “too high” and 201 said it was “too low.”
To reduce costs, the School Committee cut 61 positions from the budget, two-thirds of which are currently vacant. More than half of the positions are in special education, including two resource room teachers, 12 behavioral health professionals and 22 education technicians, Superintendent Jake Langlais previously said.
The budget also includes a $1 million reserve fund, which can be used in financial emergencies, Langlais said. To access the reserve fund, the district will need approval from both the School Committee and City Council.
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