RSU 04 board votes to call public hearing and referendum on Sabatas Primary School closure

The School Board of Regional School Unit 4 voted to call a public hearing and a referendum on whether to close Sabatas Primary School.

The motion, presented at the start of old business, directed that the warrant and notice of election be prepared in the form shown to the meeting and included with the minutes. The referendum question as read to the board would ask voters: “Do you favor authorizing the school board of Regional School Unit 4 to close Savatas Primary School?” The school board provided an estimated additional cost of $358,076.69 for keeping the school open.

Board members moved and seconded the motion and voted in favor; the chair declared the motion approved. The district will publish the final warrant language and schedule a public hearing and the referendum according to the notice approved by the board. The board did not adopt any further policy changes at the meeting related to the closure; elected next steps are limited to calling the hearing and placing the question on the ballot.

The vote starts a formal public process: the public hearing(s) required by the board’s action and the referendum itself. If the referendum approves closure, the board will proceed with the operational and budget changes discussed in workshops; if it fails, the status quo remains until the board takes further action. The board referenced an estimated additional cost figure in presenting the referendum wording; no additional cost breakdown was presented at the time of the vote.

The call for the referendum was one discrete action on an otherwise detailed budget workshop agenda the board continued to work through that evening.