Wiscasset voters turned down a proposed $9 million school budget in secret ballot voting on Tuesday. Town Clerk Sandra Johnson said the vote on the budget itself, Question 2, failed 239 to 185, losing by 54 votes.

Wiscasset voters turned down a proposed $9 million school budget in secret ballot voting on Tuesday.

Town Clerk Sandra Johnson said the vote on the budget itself, Que s tion 2, failed 239 to 185, losing by 54 votes. Question 1 passed, allo w ing school officials to spend up to 3/12 of the current budget, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, if no budget has been accepted by then.

Johnson brought the results to the Tuesday night selectmen's meeting shortly after 9 p.m. The polls closed at 8.

The vote followed 10 days after an open town meeting was held on 11 spending articles. This is the procedure required under the state's school consolidation law.

According to Alna Selectman Billie Willard, the vote on their school budget passed, 21 to 6. Both Alna and Westport Island, towns that have no schools, pay tuition to send most of their students to Wi s casset. Westport Island will vote on their school budget June 20.

At Tuesday night's selectmen's meeting, Selectman Nicole Viele talked about the difficulty of ser v ing on the Regional Planning Committee (RPC) for school co n solidation when there has been no Wiscasset School Board represe n tative since December. Viele said she and budget committee member George Green have tried to keep the communications going between the school board and the commi t tee. Wiscasset has been working with the proposed Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit with towns in a north-south line from Westport Island to North Palermo to try to work out an agreement.

Wiscasset School Board member Doug Smith resigned from the RPC after putting in many, many hours working first with a Bath group, then later with the Sheepscot Va l ley group. Viele said he simply didn't have the time to devote to it. She said she spends about 15 hours a week on it.

The selectmen agreed to appoint Steve Whitfield, a new Wiscasset School Board member, to the RPC. Viele said it will be difficult, ho w ever, for anyone new to the co m mittee to catch up on all that has happened in the last year.

"We expect to have the cost sha r ing agreement ready by next week," Viele said. Smith said one of the reasons he resigned from the RPC was the unfavorable position it puts Wiscasset in. He has said he will oppose it.

"This school consolidation is g o ing to be a big deal," Viele said. "I just hope everyone comes to the i n formational meetings."

As for the adoption of a new Wiscasset school budget, Viele said there will have to be another open town meeting on the 11 spending articles dictated by the state, fo l lowed by another secret ballot vote within the next 10 days.

In last week's issue a school board story included figures that were identified as "per pupil costs;"

they were actually "tuition costs." More complete information on Wiscasset per pupil costs compared to those of surrounding towns will be included in next week's issue.

In other business Tuesday night, the selectmen asked Transfer St a tion Woodie Freeman to work out a contract with Pine Tree Waste to handle single stream recycling; heard a report from Becky Applin on July 4 activities; heard a report from Ervin Deck on projects planned for the airport; approved closing the finance office on June 30 at noon; signed the warrant for the June 10 annual election, which includes voting on the town budget; approved the name of Sweet Fern Road; and reviewed a contract with the auditing firm of RHR Smith.