The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District voters approved a budget that had been cut by $3 million during the district’s deliberative session, which has had the School Board discussing possible deep cuts to programs and teachers for the coming school year.

The original budget put forth by the School Board was $33.76 million, but after the cut, the majority of School Board members advocated a no vote, which would put the district’s default budget into place. The default budget would have been $33.86 million – above the district’s original proposal.

Jaffrey voters supported the default budget, with 788 votes against the cut budget and 612 for it. Rindge voters supported the cut budget 1,011-682, and overwhelmed the gap in the Jaffrey votes.

“Yesterday was a devastating day for the students, parents and educators of the Jaffrey-Rindge School District,” School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe stated Wednesday. “The reckless and short-sighted decision to impose severe budget cuts on a school system that is already among the lowest-funded in the state will have dire consequences – diminishing the quality of education and stripping away opportunities for the next generation.”

The School Board has discussed several possible scenarios for if the cut budget passed, including some combination of eliminating early childhood programs such as preschool and full-day kindergarten, reducing unified arts, eliminating co- and extracurriculars including sports, staff reductions, summer program, increasing elementary school class sizes, cutting professional development and delaying facilities improvements and purchase of materials.

“These cuts are not the fault of the administration or board members who supported the initial, responsible budget, but rather of those who championed a $3 million reduction without fully understanding – or worse, disregarding – the impact of their decision,” Ratcliffe stated.

Larry Cleveland, who was elected as the new Rindge Select Board member on Tuesday, said that he was running on a platform of keeping taxes low. He publicly advocated for voting yes on the proposed budget, and no on a proposed Career and Technical Education center for the district.

“I’m paying more in taxes than I am on my mortgage,” Cleveland said at the polls Tuesday.

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Several residents sporting “No on 3” signs, advocating for the default budget, said that the issue lies with how the state funds adequate education aid. Hannah Bissex, at the polls Tuesday, said that inadequate funding from the state has put too much pressure on small towns.

“We should be mad at the state, not the schools,” said Bissex.

Susan Shaw-Sarles, a former Jaffrey-Rindge elementary principal and Rindge resident, said she was really hopeful for a no vote on the budget Tuesday, saying she has seen the struggle of balancing costs and quality education. She agreed with Bissex that state aid would continue to be a pressing issue for districts trying to create balanced budgets to put before the voters.

Ratcliffe agreed, citing what he called “irresponsible educational policies and fiscal mismanagement at the state level, led by Commissioner Frank Edelblut and legislators like John Hunt, Jim Qualey, and Rita Mattson. Instead of supporting public schools, critical funding is being siphoned away to private, religious schools, charter schools and voucher programs – often with little oversight --while unfunded mandates on public schools continue to grow.”

A majority of Rindge voters voted no on every issue on the school warrant, with the exception of the budget. However, aside from the proposed Career and Technical Education Center addition to the middle/high school, which failed, Jaffrey voters made up the difference, and all other articles ultimately passed. Approved articles included a two-year contract for adjustments to the nursing salaries and benefits. Rindge voted against the measure 875-791, but Jaffrey voted in favor 876-496. The total was 1,667 for, and 1,371 against.

A request for $50,000 from the end-of-year unreserved fund balance for the special education reserve also passed in Jaffrey and failed in Rindge, but ultimately gained approval when both towns were tallied.

Similarly, $400,000 from the fund balance for the buildings and capital equipment reserve passed in Jaffrey and failed in Rindge, but passed overall.

There were no contested races for district offices this year. Chris Ratcliffe and Sandra Stweart will return to the board for Rindge and Jaffrey, respectively, and Judy Wilson Ferstenberg will join them as a new member for an at-large seat. Bob Schaumann returns as the district moderator. Though Ratcliffe ran unopposed, a write-in candidate, Jared Reini, did receive 544 votes for Ratcliffe’s seat, though Ratcliffe remained the winner, with a total of 908 votes.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.