South Burlington voters approve school budget in third attempt

South Burlington residents approved the school budget after it came before voters for a third time, just under a month before schools reopen.

The final count for Tuesday's election was 3,883 yes votes to 3,387 no votes. The adopted $52.5 million school budget is a $785,715, or 1.3%, increase over the previous year's budget. 

An initial school budget proposal for the 2020-21 school year was voted down on Town Meeting Day in March, followed by a subsequent re-vote in late May.

For more: South Burlington voters reject revised school budget

During the March vote, the budget was expected to increase by $4.1 million for the 2020-21 academic year, a 7.69% increase in spending over the 2019-20 school year.

During the May vote, the revised budget proposed a $1.9 million, or 3.8%, increase in spending, totaling $53 million.

Town Meeting Day 2020: South Burlington voters reject new school construction

In both prior votes, South Burlington residents had been vocal about the budget via social media posts in local Facebook groups. 

Contact Ethan Bakuli at (802) 556-1804 or ebakuli@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BakuliEthan.

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