Next week, Waterbury and Duxbury residents will head to the polls for a revote on the U-45 school district budget which was defeated at Town Meeting earlier this month by only 28 votes.
The U-45 school district includes Thatcher Brook Primary School and Crossett Brook Middle School. Following the defeat of its $11,584,574 budget, the Waterbury-Duxbury School Board met on March 10 to discuss next steps.
While some board members proposed cutting the budget so that it would pass the second time around, others suggested it did not pass the first time because of incorrect information that was published in The Waterbury Record in the week leading up to Town Meeting. The newspaper used last year's budget numbers to report an increase of 6.4 percent from last year, when the increase was actually 2.1 percent.
According to the school board, the $11,584,574 budget included the reduction of over five staff members at a time when enrollment was steady. Any further cuts would have "huge consequences" on students, the draft minutes of the March 10 meeting read.
And so, on Thursday, March 26, residents will vote again on the original budget. To help educate voters and counter the effects of any misinformation that was published, the Waterbury-Duxbury School Board held an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 17, to explain their decision for the revote and answer questions from the public.
