Voting results final, school budgets coming together

After a bit of deliberation on Wednesday morning, the Havre Public Schools election results were accepted as final and not requiring a recount.

The numbers were quite close, with the building reserve levy passing by 8 votes, 1.1 percent.

Had that been a vote or two closer, all of the ballots would have been pulled back out and the results verified.

That not being the case, the HPS staff has finally gotten enough of an indication of what the next year's budget will be, from Tuesday's votes and the end of the Montana legislative session, that they are now working on the final cuts.

"We're sitting down with principals and looking at those decisions right now, " Superintendent Andy Carlson said.

With the $73,000 levy, the elementary district's budget will be $113,420.63 shorter than what they need, according to the superintendent, instead of the possible $186,420.63 without the levy.

On the high school side, cuts of $85,684.62 will need to be made, instead of $183,684.62.

The superintendent and the Board of Trustees had already been talking about some plans to pave the Havre High School parking lot, renovate the locker rooms or fix up the wrestling corner. Since the $185,000 building reserve passed, barely, the districts can look at how to fund those ideas.

Carlson said that he plans on having a budget set up by the next school board meeting, on Tuesday, May 10.