JAY — RSU 73 directors voted 7-4 Thursday to keep both high schools open for the 2012-13 school year and to propose a modified addition project to be voted on in November.

The vote was opposed by Directors Darcie Comstock, Dan DiPompo, Mike Morrell and Vicki McLeod, all of Jay.

It was the second vote on the motion that came after Superintendent Robert Wall made the recommendation. After taking a hard look at all factors, Wall said, there was no money in the budget to support portable classrooms.

“We really don’t have the funding to make the transition now,” he said.

Voters had stripped out $150,000 that had been in an initial $18.9 million budget for debt service on June 5 that was targeted to go to a first payment on a $5.3 million addition/renovation project on Spruce Mountain High School North Campus in Jay. Voters rejected that project. The board left the money in the budget in case another option, including portable classrooms, developed.

Without the debt service, the $18.8 million budget went on to fail in all three towns on June 12. A proposed $18.7 million budget will go before the school board at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 28, at the Spruce Mountain Middle School cafeteria in Jay.

Directors on Thursday raised concerns over finances and time constraints on trying to get portables in place for the start of the school year in August.

Prior to his recommendation, Wall said that if students were on one campus, the costs would be contained and managed better with reduced fixed costs.

“The offerings will be enhanced by creating a more effective student-to-staff ratio and consolidating the schools,” he said.

The district would work hard to put students on the same campus the following school year, he said.

That means that in August all ninth-graders and students in grades 10, 11 and 12 from the Jay area will attend school in Jay. Those in grades 10, 11 and 12 from Livermore and Livermore Falls would go to the south campus in Livermore Falls. Students who take classes at both schools will be transported throughout the day.

An original vote Thursday to keep both schools open failed by a 5-6 vote with Comstock, DiPompo, McLeod, Morrell, Mary Redmond-Luce of Jay and Carmen Cullen of Livermore Falls opposed.

Redmond-Luce quickly motioned to add $383,036 to the proposed $18.7 million budget. It was seconded by Comstock. That option would put a 10-classroom portable unit at the middle school for the sixth grade and a four-classroom unit at the Jay high school.

Chairwoman Denise Rodzen of Livermore Falls said that in her opinion, if the voters didn’t approve the $18.8 million budget the first time, they would not approve it with more money added. She also said the board should be cognizant of voters’ wishes.

“The reality is, right now, if we are going to face facts, we don’t have the money,” Rodzen said.

Redmond-Luce said she hadn’t thought of the budget failing because of adding the money. She withdrew her motion for the portables. Comstock refused to withdraw hers.

DiPompo said the consolidation plan strongly recommended that at the end of the 2011-12 school year, the Livermore Falls school would close and all high school students would be sent to Jay.

“It was in the plan,” he said.

Rodzen said she didn’t think there was anyone on the board who didn’t want the students together.

“We have to be realistic,” she said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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