CLAREMONT — With low turnout Tuesday, voters approved a $37.78 million school budget, 330-127, during Australian balloting.
Claremont voters also approved, 307-120, of the “alternate ballot” method this year which included an online deliberative session through Zoom and drive-thru voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In uncontested races, School Board member Heather Whitney, former board member Steve Horsky and Joshua Lambert each won three, three-year seats on the board.
The approved budget represents a drop in overall spending of about 1% or $417,000. But a sharp decrease in state revenues means the approved budget carries an estimated tax rate increase of 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed value and will add $90 in school taxes to a property assessed at $150,000. Most of the budget increases and decreases were in maintenance and special education.
Unofficially, turnout citywide was 6.5% or 467 of the city’s 7,082 registered voters.
—Patrick O’Grady