The up-Island regional school district is expected to amend its budget after voters in West Tisbury rejected the town’s first tax override in 10 years last week. Voters easily defeated a question on the annual ballot last Thursday asking for an additional $300,000 in property tax assessments to fund a portion of the school budget. The vote was 206-146 with 384 voters casting ballots in a quiet election year.

Following the vote, town officials and school district committee members alike struggled to determine the next steps. A week later, the process had become clearer, but questions remained. The selectmen now anticipate a special town meeting this year to revisit the school budget.

Meanwhile, the West Tisbury annual town meeting reconvenes next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium. There are seven articles left on the warrant. The annual meeting opened last Tuesday and was continued the following night, but failed to get a quorum. A minimum of 125 voters are needed.

Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss said this week that the failed override was something new in his 10 years at the school, but he called the process “pretty straightforward.” One option for the school committee is simply to amend the budget, he said. Another is to keep the budget and force a special town meeting for another vote, but he didn’t think that would happen. “My sense is they will probably try to redo the budget to get the assessment in West Tisbury down,” Mr. Weiss said. He also said it was too soon to know what items would be cut.

The school committee meets May 4 to discuss the issue.

At a selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday this week, selectman and high school committee member Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter 3rd pointed out that according the warrant, the town’s share of the school budget was contingent on the override. Since the override failed, he said, “we have no appropriation for the school budget.”

Town administrator Jennifer Rand said a special town meeting to approve the school budget would be required regardless of any efforts to reduce the town’s assessment. If the town meeting April 28 again falls short of a quorum, she said it would be adjourned and the remaining seven articles, along with the school budget, would be taken up at a special town meeting, possibly in June.

All three member towns, including Chilmark and Aquinnah, will need to approve the $10.5 million school budget, Mr. Weiss said. Chilmark’s annual town meeting is Monday and Aquinnah’s is May 12.

West Tisbury selectman Cynthia Mitchell said last week that she did not believe the committee could simply increase the assessments for Chilmark or Aquinnah to make up for the failed override. West Tisbury is the largest of the three towns and is responsible for about 68 per cent of the school budget this year, or about $7 million.

At the annual meeting last week the school budget was reduced by $68,440 through an amendment on the town meeting floor. District committee chairman Michael Marcus apologized to the finance committee for not offering more details during the budget hearing process this winter.

“We’ve got some work to do,” he said last week following the failed override vote.

In another defeat last week, the high school failed to get the required votes in West Tisbury to borrow up to $3.9 million to design and build a new high school administration building. Concerns focused on a lack of information prior to the meeting and the need for repairs at Island schools. The proposal was approved in Tisbury and Edgartown.

Approval from all six towns is needed, and it is now unclear whether the project can move forward. Some had thought that only four towns would need to approve the article. “But we did some legal research and it’s all or nothing,” Mr. Weiss said.

Efforts to develop a new building began about eight years ago and the project has come before voters three times. After giving the school permission to sell the current building, voters approved $12,000 for a feasibility study in 2012 and $175,000 for schematic designs in 2013.

“This is the fourth time we’ve gone to the public, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise,” Mr. Weiss said. “Every step of the way we have gotten the vote at the six town meetings.”

Housed in a former church on Pine street in Vineyard Haven, the superintendent’s building is in poor repair and does not meet building codes for handicapped access, among other issues.

Mr. Manter said Wednesday that there was some talk of making a motion to reconsider the article when town meeting reconvenes next week. “Procedurally, someone could make a motion,” he said. “I don’t know whether or not the moderator would allow it. That’s a whole other issue."