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RSU 40 board calls June 9 referendum, schedules May 5 public hearing on high‑school renovation bond
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Summary
The RSU 40 School Board voted to call a June 9, 2026 referendum and approved a May 5 public hearing to seek voter approval of bonds or notes for minor capital projects to renovate the district high school; the superintendent said the district also secured $4 million from the School Revolving Renovation Fund.
The RSU 40 School Board voted to call a referendum for June 9, 2026, and set a public hearing for May 5 at 5 p.m. to seek voter approval of bonds or notes for minor capital projects that include a renovation of the district high school.
Interim Superintendent (speaker 4) told the board the proposed 2026–27 budget is $42,950,000, an increase the superintendent described as about 5.23 percent over the prior year, and framed the renovation as necessary to bring the older high‑school building up to code and accreditation standards. The superintendent said the project would address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, asbestos abatement, original plumbing, electrical capacity, bathroom upgrades, entrance safety, and heating and airflow, and would support the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation process. "Renovating the school will make the building look the way the teachers make the students feel," the superintendent said.
The superintendent also announced the district had been awarded $4,000,000 from the state School Revolving Renovation Fund (SRRF), described on the record as a combination of grant and a 0 percent interest loan. The superintendent said the district will repay 42 percent of that award (stated on the record as $1,600,000) over 10 years and that, because other existing debts will be retired, securing the SRRF funds should not increase the district’s operating budget as presented.
Board members approved a motion to call the referendum and to approve the notice of a public hearing; the motion was moved and seconded and carried by the board. The board directed that the architect and engineer attend the May 5 public hearing to answer technical questions from voters.
The board and staff discussed logistics required by state election law and local practice, including a handwritten "notice of amounts" that will be posted in town offices because the election ballot itself cannot show dollar amounts, the board said. Staff explained that a separate warrant article (referred to in the meeting as Article 25) was drafted so that the budget would include the bond’s first payment only if the bond is approved in June. That notice will be highlighted on the materials provided to the public, staff said.
Next steps: the public hearing is scheduled for May 5 at 5 p.m.; the referendum will be held June 9, 2026. The board said staff and the district’s design team will use the intervening weeks to answer community questions and provide additional detail about the project costs and scope.
Votes and procedural note: the motion to call the referendum and to set the hearing time was moved, seconded and approved by the board during the meeting.
