Voters to Decide School Budget and Referendum Future
- June 6th 2025
- Elections
By Kendra Williams
Sanford’s school budget validation referendum will be held next Tuesday, June 10. Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm at Sanford High School. Voters should enter through door #41.
There are two questions on the ballot. Article 1 is to adopt the 2025/2026 school budget as proposed by the School Committee and approved by the City Council.
Article 2 is to continue the school budget validation referendum process. A yes vote will require the continuation of the referendum to validate the annual school budget for the next three years. A no vote will discontinue the budget validation process for at least three years and instead will provide that the final annual school budget shall be adopted by the Sanford City Council.
According to current state law, schools are required to hold a school budget validation referendum each year. In Sanford, it’s always held on the second Tuesday in June. Every third year, also by state law, voters may decide to discontinue the school budget validation referendum for the following three years.
The School Committee held budget meetings and workshops from late January through the end of March. The initial budget proposal was submitted to the City Council on March 5, followed by a public hearing on March 18. Both the school and municipal budgets were approved by the City Council at its April 1 meeting. After several budget meetings, the initial budget recommended by the School Committee in January, was subsequently reduced by $927,804 before passage by the council.
