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March 13. 2013 9:01AM

Rollinsford voters say yes to withdrawal, but no to budget, new contract and asbestos Tuesday

By JOHN QUINN
Union Leader Correspondent

ROLLINSFORD - While residents want to send local students to Maine, they enacted a default budget for the school, rejected raises for teachers and decided against saving up for asbestos removal in the future.

On Tuesday, residents voted 394-296 against Article 5 which would have appropriated $5,343,258 for the district's operating budget. As a result, the default budget of $5,286,636 was enacted.

It is $94,792 - or 1.8 percent - more than last year's budget of $5,191,844 and $56,622 less than the proposed budget. The district can call a special meeting to discuss a revised budget.

Article 6 failed 416-279. It would have approved $47,183 for the costs of a collective-bargaining agreement to increase the salaries and benefits of teachers and paraprofessionals while increasing health care premiums of teachers.

Article 8, which would draw $61,000 from the unanticipated fund balance to remove asbestos in the Rollinsford Grade School, failed 391-299.

Residents decided 590-125 to withdraw from the Authorized Regional Enrollment Area (AREA) with Somersworth, which has been in effect since 1968, and send older students to Marshwood School District - which includes the towns of Elliot and South Berwick, Maine - in the fall of 2015.

Currently, local students in kindergarten through grade six attend classes at the Rollinsford Grade School, while students in grades seven through 12 are educated in Somersworth. All other school district articles were approved.

Judith Nelson received 534 votes to earn a three-year spot on the school board, while Robert Brown and Tia Pass received 474 and 446 votes, respectively, for two one-year teams on the school board. All three races were uncontested.

On the town side, Suzanne Huard defeated incumbent Albert Dionne, 399-282, for a three-year seat on the board of selectman.

Kim St. Hilaire, Michele Small and Dan Marquis will serve on the budget committee for the next three years after they received 467, 456 and 436 votes, respectively. Denise Knowles, who also sought a spot, received 351 votes.

Residents will decide on municipal matters at the annual town meeting, which is scheduled to begin Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Rollinsford Grade School.