JAY – With the $9.85 million school budget passed, supplies and other items were being ordered Wednesday, Superintendent Robert Wall said.

It was the second try at passing a school spending package. In June, voters rejected a $9.98 million proposal that reflected a decrease of about $504,000.

Essential ordering was previously done, Wall said, to make sure school could open, but now the rest of the supplies will be ordered.

Wall said he was happy with voters’ approval of the budget.

“We certainly appreciate the strong support of citizens and look forward to serving students,” Wall said.

Schools open for prekindergarten through grade nine on Tuesday, Aug. 28, with the whole student body scheduled to attend the following day. Teachers return to school Monday.

The budget process behind them, Wall said it will allow them to concentrate on consolidation and move forward with collecting data and other necessary information to determine if a partnership would work.

School boards from Jay and neighboring SAD 36 in Livermore and Livermore Falls voted earlier this month to file an intent, which is nonbinding, to consolidate the three towns into one school system as the state is requiring schools throughout the state to do.