RSU 18 board calls district budget meeting, approves warrants for budget validation referendum

The RSU 18 school board voted to call the district budget meeting and approved the warrants and notices required for the FY27 budget validation referendum, a step administrators said is required by state statute before towns can hold validation votes.

Superintendent Zipporah presented the motion as written and described the next steps: town warrants will be signed after the meeting, delivered by administration, and accompanied by an informational one‑pager the district will ask towns to make available to voters. "These processes we only do once a year," she said, noting the district team had reviewed the paperwork with town clerks to reduce errors.

Board members discussed timing and logistics, including aligning the validation referendum with a statewide election to avoid the extra expense of running a separate local election and the need for signatures on multiple documents. The board also noted one article at the district meeting requires a paper ballot and that hand counts on ballot night may delay final tabulation into the early morning hours of the next day.

The motion to call the district budget meeting and approve the associated warrants passed with the board's approval as presented; administrators will proceed with delivery to the towns and the required signing process following the meeting.

Next steps: the district will distribute the informational materials to towns, finalize the warrant documents for signatures, and prepare for the district budget meeting and the subsequent budget validation referendum in June.