Andover votes to create a plan to leave SAD 44

    Andover residents voted 221-39 Tuesday to craft an educational/financial plan that could lead to the town’s withdrawal from SAD 44, according to Selectboard Chair Susan Merrow.
    A committee appointed by selectmen will receive up to $24,000 to aid the effort, which includes financial negotiations with SAD 44.
    When the plan is complete, residents will return to the polls to vote on it. A two-thirds approval is needed for the town to actually leave the district.
    Residents have expressed concern in the past two years about the uncertainty of the future of the Andover Elementary School. The town pays extra money each year to SAD 44 to keep it open.
    At a public hearing in Andover last month, some voters said they favored creating a withdrawal plan to establish solid information on which to base a decision on the future of their children's education.