JAY — After some confusion about abstaining from voting, Regional School Unit directors on Thursday, March 13, voted 7-5 to approve the proposed budget amounts for the ensuing year.

The proposed $26.05 million budget includes one new teaching position and the replacement of two secretaries with dean of students, it was shared at the March 6 meeting,

“Due to unclear budget protocol, I am going to abstain from voting,” Jodi Cordes of Jay said. Michelle Moffett of Livermore Falls also abstained.

“Point of order,” Director Tina Riley of Jay interrupted the roll call. “Are abstentions permitted without a reason because I didn’t think that was the case. I thought that unless a person has a definite conflict of interest, that has to be material that they were required to vote either yes or no.”

Chair Don Emery of Livermore Falls said, “I do believe that you are correct on that. That being said, I do believe an abstention basically is a no vote.”

Riley asked how the majority would be determined. “Is it acceptable for a board member who does not have a conflict of interest to abstain when the policy says that they cannot,” she asked.

“I do believe from what I have read that you are correct,” Emery responded. “So I don’t know where we go from here. It’s a pivotal moment in my career as board chair.”

The roll call resumed with Cordes and Moffett changing their votes to no. Also voting no were Roger Moulton of Livermore Falls, Holly Morris of Livermore and Dawn Strout of Jay. Voting yes were Danielle Brotherton, Tina Riley, Bryan Riley of Jay; Lenia Coates, Sarah Jamison and Andrew Sylvester of Livermore; and Emerson. Director Elaine Fitzgerald of Jay was absent.

“We had the lawyers draw up the paperwork for this,” Superintendent Scott Albert said before the voting. “We have at this point in time is the $1,434,570 increase from last year. I do want to remind people there are other opportunities. We do still have the budget referendum meeting.”

That meeting is April 10 at 6 p.m. at Spruce Mountain High School.

“I know people talk about money never coming down at that meeting,” Albert said. “This will be my sixth budget that we have gone through. The first two years was involved with COVID so we ended up having a hearing, they wouldn’t let us have a budget meeting. The year after that we did have an opportunity. People put up the nomination and we actually dropped in one area $100,000.”

Albert stressed there is an opportunity for people on April 10 to recommend going with the recommended budget amounts or changing them. April 29 is the referendum vote at polling places in Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls, he noted. “There is still opportunities for the budget to change but there really isn’t an opportunity for us at this point in time to change the budget,” he added.