By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

Hooksett will vote again on the school district’s operating budget, but will wait until next year to decide what happens with almost $1million left over from school construction projects.

Fail, pass, fail again
Arevelation spurred Hooksett School District Moderator David Hess to call the Secretary of State after the Tuesday, March 8, when he questioned the need for a two-thirds majority on the leftover bond money. If only a three-fifths majority were necessary, the 354-181 vote would have been enough for it to pass.

School Board Chairman Jim Sullivan said Hess was told the article had passed, not failed as was the previous determination, during his phone conversation with the Secretary of State.

However, right before a petitioned recount aimed at bolstering the numbers of the failed operating budget on Tuesday, March 16, school officials were told that a new bond may pass by a three-fifths vote but the change in use of an existing bond must pass by two-thirds, as previously thought, failing the article again.

The recounted vote for the use of the almost $1 million to fix up the Underhill School came in at 360-184, just a few votes under the requirement for a two-thirds vote. Initially the article failed 354-181, which is 66.1 percent of the vote instead of the 66.7 percent required, almost the same as the recount percentages.

Sullivan said the confusion began when officials learned that official ballot voting, commonly called SB2, which the school district operates under, only requires a three-fifths vote to pass a new bond. Old Town Meeting style voting always requires a two-thirds majority. Regardless, Sullivan said the school district will hold onto the money and vote on it again next year, because it does not return to the general fund.

Repairs at Underhill would have included the heating and ventilation system, asbestos removal, a sprinkler system, tile and floor replacements, electrical work and a roof upgrade among other things. The repairs were expected to cost between $700,000 and $900,000 and the remainder of the money would go to repairs at the SAU building.

Budget recount
The two recounts on March 16 also proved the almost $21.7 million school operating budget failed by a 265-270 simple majority vote. The vote was initially counted as 261 yes to 268 no.

School officials are now researching cutting the budget down and voting again to avoid a default budget, which was calculated at about $550,000 less than the proposed budget. The school district is facing its second default budget in two years.

“We are considering reducing the amount for an additional bus and cutting the advanced learning position,” Sullivan said. “That would cut a little under $100,000 and then we would go back to the budget committee, have another budget hearing and then another whole day of voting.”

Sullivan said the process is allowed under the official ballot law form of voting. This would push voting to around May. School officials voted to move forward with a revote at the March 16 recount.

Hooksett votes on town candidates and warrants May 10.