Hancock Voters Will Make Third
Try to Pass School Budget
By Martha Slater

Hancock voters will gather next Monday, June 23 at 7 p.m. at the town hall to vote for a third time on the town’s school district budget. The proposed figure up for approval is $811,00 for the 2008-09 school year, which includes the assessment for the Hancock-Granville Joint District. This amount is $5,045 less than the figure defeated at the previous meeting held April 29.

The original budget figure of $821,195 warned at Town Meeting in March had to be voted on twice, when the first paper ballot resulted in a tie. The second balloting ended with the article being defeated 35-28, so another meeting was called for April 29. The figure of $816,045 presented to the voters at the second meeting represented a reduction of $5,150 from the initial figure.

Fireworks began at the April meeting when, in response to a question from selectboard member Jim Leno, WNWSU Supt. Tim Mock distributed a handout showing a possible savings of $67,000 (assuming an elementary tuition of $9,000) if the school were to close and parents were allowed to tuition students wherever they wanted to.

The school board’s reaction to the handout was disbelief, since, as board member Dan Perera said then, "until five minutes ago, we hadn’t seen this news (the handout) and none of this was run by us before."

Mock apologized that the board had not seen the information prior to the meeting, but said the numbers were "confirmed by the WNWSU business manager."

A lengthy discussion ensued, during which former school board member Don Crickard disputed that the savings would actually be $67,000, and said he felt it was "clear that the supervisory union wants to close down our small school."

School board chair Jill Jesso-White said the budget figure the board was bringing to voters that night was the result of their hard work to consider every option, adding, "We have never come before the voters without having considered what we were presenting."

Although several suggestions were made to table the vote and come back to reconsider the matter at another meeting, a motion to go ahead with a paper ballot was approved, resulting in a vote of 19 yes and 24 no.

At the third meeting next Tuesday, the board is hoping for a good voter turnout and a favorable decision.

Jesso-White told The Herald this week that, "This proposal is $5,000 less than the one in April, because we received a grant for that amount just a few weeks ago that will be for the upcoming school year, so we reduced the budget by that amount."

"I want the community to know that this board has gone over the budget with a fine-tooth comb to remove any unnecessary expenses," she added. "We feel that this is the best budget that meets the needs of the town and the needs of the children. I’m hopeful that the budget will pass at this third vote."

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