NEWPORT – SAD 48 officials have set a districtwide budget hearing for next week to deal with two questions that were voted down during a June 11 referendum.

School board members voted Tuesday night to hold the public meeting, which will include a formal vote on the two articles, which are debt service and additional local funds. The bottom line of the $15.8 million budget was passed by the six SAD 48 communities.

Superintendent of Schools William Braun said on the day after the vote that he was stunned by the rejection of the debt service question, which provides funds to pay for the nearly completed two new middle schools. The only two options, he said, would be either holding another vote or defaulting on the school loans.

The $223,000 that voters rejected appropriating would have leveraged $1.3 million in state funding.

Directors said Tuesday night that they believe voters did not understand that the debt service was not an additional funding request but rather payment for schools they had already approved.

Voters also disapproved of $270,000 in additional funding.

The districtwide budget hearing, which can use either open or secret balloting, will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport.