Newport School District: Incumbents Win; Budget Passes
Newport — Incumbents Karen Little, with 395 votes, and Linda Wadensten, with 308, easily won re-election to the School Board yesterday over Daniel Bailey, 167 votes, and Scott Ayen, 133, during voting at the annual school district meeting. Voters also overwhelmingly passed the $17.8 million budget, 519-95, and a one-year teachers contract, 387-232.
Longtime school district clerk and treasurer, Robert Scott, who was not on the ballot, won as a write-in candidate over Gordon B. Flint Jr. For treasurer, Scott received 352 votes to Flint’s 236. For clerk, Scott won, 275-271.
A one-year contract for support staff was approved, 403-213, and $10,000 for a new reserve fund for fields was approved, 404-185. Voters defeated two reserve fund articles. A third article, which cut the allocation for the special education capital reserve fund to the minimum $1 in order to keep the fund in existence, passed, 412-177.
The $17.8 million budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 carries no spending increase from this year and would lower the local school tax rate by 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The overall school tax rate is projected to fall 8 cents to $15.22 per $1,000 of assessed value with the passage of all the appropriations. That breaks down between a local school tax rate increase of about 8 cents to $12.79 and a projected 16 cent decrease in the state education rate to $2.43. With a combined rate of $15.22, annual school taxes on a property assessed at $150,000 would drop $12 to $2,283.
