SOUTH ROYALTON — Voters in Bethel and Royalton will be asked next month to reconsider an $11.8 million budget approved in March for the shared school district.

More than 190 voters of the two towns signed a petition calling for a revote of the White River Valley Unified School District’s annual budget, according to Royalton Town Clerk Karmen Bascom.

She said 5% of the district’s 3,802 registered voters were required to sign the petition to trigger a new meeting.

“The feedback that we received from community members who have come to our meetings recently is that they just wanted more information,” School Board Chairwoman Lisa Floyd, a Bethel resident, said on Thursday.

Several voters at the district’s annual meeting last month complained that the School Board failed to include important financial information, including an auditor’s report and detailed breakdown of expenses, in its annual report.

In defiance, they voted to abruptly end discussion on an article would have allowed them to “hear and act upon the reports of the School District directors and officers.”

While the School Board apologized at the time that more information wasn’t made available to voters, Floyd said it appears residents weren’t satisfied.

Copies of the audit showing a surplus for last year were mailed to the school district this week, and officials plan to disseminate them to voters before the upcoming vote, she said.

“I feel like we’ve got the numbers that people are asking for,” Floyd said. “I would like to see us have a conversation and affirm the March vote.”

Floyd also heard that petitioners are hoping for a ballot vote on the budget, rather than a show of hands or voice vote. Messages left on Thursday for Bethel resident Louis Ferris Burt, who organized the petition drive, were not returned.

This isn’t the first time White River Valley residents have contested the results of a Town Meeting vote. A group of Royalton residents successfully petitioned to reconsider a $6.2 million school budget in 2013, ultimately trimming $137,000 from the spending plan.

The district’s 2019-20 budget, which is expected to increase per pupil spending 9.2%, was approved 56-47 at the annual school meeting.

As a result, the homestead tax rate is expected to increase 10 cents per $100 of valuation in Royalton and by 6 cents in Bethel.

School officials said the increase was caused by flat enrollment, rising health care costs and the need to add two teachers.

To amend the budget, voters will first need a simple majority to reconsider it. Any changes will then also need to be approved by a majority of those present.

The reconsideration vote is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13, at the school district’s Royalton campus.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.