MEXICO – A light turnout of voters from the Region 9 School of Applied Technology coverage area overwhelmingly approved a $1,370,540 million secondary budget and a $255,300 adult and community education budget Tuesday night.

“We now have money for next year,” said board Chairman Norman Clanton after the vote was taken.

The two budgets represent about a 7 percent increase from this year’s budgets, largely attributable to substantially higher costs for fuel and utilities and pay raises for staff members. Also, $75,000 of the secondary budget is an interest payment on the school’s planned building and renovation project, which was approved in January.

Residents voted 28-3 for the secondary budget and 33-3 for the adult education budget. One of the three dissenters was Randy Canwell, a member of the Region 9 board. He said he believed additional cuts could have been made to both budgets.

SAD 21 pays about 28 percent of the secondary budget and sends about 42 students; SAD 43 pays 46 percent of the budget and sends 74 students; SAD 44 pays 33 percent of the budget and sends about 30 students. The remaining budget is paid by the unaffiliated towns of Hanover, Upton and Gilead who send about eight students to the vocational program.

Passage of the secondary budget comes at a time when a $4.9 million expansion and renovation budget is about to begin.

Architect Jim Reuter, of the Bethel firm of Smith Reuter Lull, said following the vote that bids are expected to go out on the project in mid-June and returned in July, with a beginning construction date anticipated for August. About a year is expected for the project’s completion.

When done, new programs in automotive technology and early childhood development will be added. All programs will be offered within the school, major repairs will be made to the roof, and the River Road building will be handicapped accessible. Currently, classroom space for the diversified occupations and truck driving programs are held in two modular buildings.