MEXICO – The Region 9 School of Applied Technology board Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.88 million secondary budget and a $295,500 adult and community education budget.

Now the decision is up to voters of the 16-town region who will cast ballots at 6:30 p.m. May 20 at the school.

The approved secondary budget is about $17,000 less than originally announced because the region has that amount of carry-over to apply against it. Also, $112,530 of the total adult education budget comes through grants, tuition and carry-over.

Both budgets are up substantially from the current fiscal year, largely because of a $4.8 million renovation and construction project that’s under way.

Few people attended the two budget hearings Monday in Bethel and Mexico, vocational school Director Brenda Gammon said.

With the new educational space will come two new vocational programs – one in automotive technology and the second in early childhood development.

Gammon said she has so far received more than two dozen applications for the early childhood teaching position and nearly a dozen for the automotive technology position.

She said Wednesday that student interest in the two programs is also high. So far, student services coordinator Cheryl Ellis has received 32 preliminary applications for the automotive program and 17 for the early childhood program.

Gammon said interest in the school’s other vocational programs is also up, with applications for the computer technology course and the diversified occupation program already at the maximum number of students permitted.

Tuesday’s board meeting was also the annual reorganizational meeting. Longtime Chairman Norman Clanton, who represents SAD 44, was re-elected to his position. SAD 43 representative Frank DiConzo was re-elected as vice chairman.

In other matters, Gammon announced that the annual awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. May 28 in the Mountain Valley High School auditorium. Also, an open house for a home building project by Region 9’s building trades class will be held at the house site in Peru from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 2.