SAD 29 budget approved

By Karen Donato
Staff Writer
    The second round of voting for the proposed $11.9 million school budget has been passed by the four member towns of SAD 29.
    An earlier vote had turned down the proposed budget by an 80-71 margin. School board members and Superintendent Steve Fitzpatrick resisted the pressure to cut the budget, saying that this budget was the best for the district. “There has been a lot of time and effort put forth to maintain a workable budget that would provide a top quality education for the students residing in the communities of Monticello, Littleton, Hammond and Houlton,” he said.
    Taxpayers were subsequently invited to attend an informational session on July 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Southside School just prior to the second budget meeting slated for 6 p.m. to answer any questions they might have. Approximately four dozen people showed up, most of them being either school staff or town officials.  All 20 warrants passed successfully.
    The July 21 voting results by towns were: in Monticello, approved 33-22; in Littleton, approved 43-33; in Hammond, approved 7-3; and in Houlton, approved 289-234.
    The budget had increased $271,384 over the previous year due to salary negotiations and rising fuel costs according to Fitzpatrick.