Newport Voters Put Spaulding on Board; Give Teachers a Raise

Newport — The same vote that Bert Spaulding Sr. unsuccessfully tried to block may turn out to be the one that elected him as a member of the Newport School District.

Spaulding received 18 write-in votes in balloting on Tuesday, putting him atop the more than two dozen people who received votes. On Monday, Newport District Court Judge Brian Tucker denied Spaulding’s petition to postpone the vote on grounds that the district had failed to provide sufficient information about the proposed teachers’ contract.

Balloting results were announced by School District Moderator Howard Dunn. Spaulding has a few days to decide whether to accept the seat, he said on Tuesday night. No candidate had filed for the seat of Shannon Howe, who did not seek re-election.

The $17.7 million budget passed, meaning teachers will get a raise next year because the budget includes a one-year contract for teachers and a one-year contract for the support staff of paraprofessionals and administrative assistants.

The budget, which was $1 less than the default budget, passed 317-114.

Also approved were articles to put $50,000 each in the unanticipated educational services trust fund and the transportation capital reserve fund. The $100,000 will come from a projected year-end surplus. The article for the educational services fund passed 216-212.

A third article to use $200,000 in surplus funds for a behavioral support program at the elementary school failed 223-201.

By just five votes, 216-211, voters passed an article calling for the formation of a committee to study the feasibility of the school district charging for extracurricular activities, including sports.

A non-binding vote to have the school district contract with the town for financial services was approved. However, the Newport Selectboard recently voted not to enter into a contract for that purpose.

The teachers’ contract gives each of the district’s 94 teachers a $1,240 step increase. The budget also includes two new elementary teaching positions, a new paraprofessional position, and a new middle high school unified arts teacher.

The budget is projected to increase the local school tax rate by $1.98 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Turnout was about 11 percent, or 431 of the town’s 3,948 registered voters.