Unofficial results are in for the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School vote, with the plan to rebuild failing 5,714 to 16,123.
Before polling places closed at 7 p.m., Tuesday night, WHAV asked Haverhill, Groveland and West Newbury voters about their decisions. Haverhill was the only sending community with a majority in favor, coming in at 2,628 to 1,906. Groveland and West Newbury reported 269 to 770 and 276 to 738, respectively.
Jay Stephens, a Haverhill resident who voted yes, said rebuilding the school was an investment in the future.
“When I call a tradesman—an electrician, a plumber, a carpenter—and I know that they’ve been trained well, in a state-of-the-art, effective vocational school, then I have a better standard of living, a better quality of life,” he said. “To me, it’s a no-brainer.”
Laurie Jacobs said she voted yes “because my granddaughter goes there and I know how this school has fallen into disrepair, and it’s gotten to the point where education is just not a priority. They’re having difficulty learning because the building is so hot. They can’t go to the bathroom because the toilets are overflowing.”
Yes-voters from the other two communities pointed to vocational education as a value worth spending money on. While those against did not dismiss vocational school, with many saying they supported some version of a new Whittier Tech building, they expressed a general distaste toward this plan’s rollout and details.
In an email to WHAV, a Yes for Whittier spokesperson wrote they “will never stop fighting for the Whittier community that deserves proper fire protection and a school without raw sewage backing into it.”
The spokesperson added, “it is unfortunate that voters chose what will be the longer and more costly process of a renovation and code upgrade to the existing Whittier instead of building a new school.”
Barry Riley, who attended Whittier Tech from 1985 to 1987, said he voted no because of a recent 10.5% increase on his tax bill, a jump he has never seen before. He objects to yet more money going toward state building projects over needed repairs.
“Look at the roads around here. The sewer system that failed last year. They’re adding more residences here. It’s unsustainable, what they’re doing,” he said. “Half a billion dollars for a high school? That’s just crazy. I love my Tech, but it’s just too much… It’s kind of disturbing, the way they want to just spend money. I’m all for a new school but there’s got to be a better way. There has to be a better way.”
Some voters were displeased with the way Whittier Tech solicited community opinion and communicated its intentions.
“I’m not opposed to a new school,” Aaron Oliphant, who voted in Groveland, said. “I just don’t think enough discussion has gone into it, and enough publicity about the possible solutions has been made.”
Other West Newbury and Groveland residents said they did not send enough children to the school to warrant paying for a rebuild, especially such a costly one. Steve Sarkissian of West Newbury said, compared to other recently built vocational schools, this one had too large a price tag.
“Does Whittier need seven athletic fields? And if you’re going to have the mentality that you need to provide them seven athletic fields, I can only assume that everything else they’ve budgeted in is beyond what’s needed,” he said.
Roughly 9% of eligible Haverhill voters cast ballots.