TURNER — Voters in Turner, Leeds and Greene passed the RSU 52 school budget in a 217-124 vote Tuesday.
Poll results released Wednesday by Superintendent Henry Aliberti are Turner, 156-73; Leeds, 32-26; and Greene, 29-25.
Aliberti thanked those who voted.
“We have an outstanding school system in which we can be very proud,” he said. “We must continue to collaborate to make informed decisions based on the best interests of our students.”
The $24.28 million budget for 2014-15 is 3.2 percent more than this fiscal year and has been described by Aliberti as a solid budget.
Annual property taxes for a $100,000 home will go up $29 in Turner, $36 in Leeds and $34 in Greene.
The budget will maintain existing services and create a new position to improve math at Leavitt Area High School, Aliberti said. The budget funds an additional math teacher to continue efforts at the Tripp Middle School to boost math learning.
Aliberti said earlier this month that the middle school has a strong group of students expected to achieve Algebra I before they begin high school. Of this year’s 159 eighth-graders, 45 are expected to complete algebra.
The budget also gives staffers 2.5 percent raises and approves a no-cost energy audit by Siemens that will show how money could be saved with energy upgrades.
This year, no extra money was needed to pay for employee health insurance, a tribute to a low number of claims from staffers, Aliberti said.
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