Bartlett voters narrowly defeat JBES pay increases

BARTLETT — The Josiah Bartlett Elementary School is slowly making educational strides, but voters will be keeping an eye on it to make sure that progress continues over the next year. That was the message at the annual Bartlett School Meeting on Tuesday night when voters rejected a pair of warrant articles, totaling $800,000, designed to increase teacher and non-contracted staff pay and to attract and retain staff at the pre-kindergarten-to-eighth-grade school.

Sean McCarthy, a paraprofessional at JBES, submitted petition articles for the third consecutive year, seeking to improve education at the school. While successful the previous two years, both articles fell just a few votes short of passage this time despite a passionate plea by McCarthy and others.