Waltham Elementary won’t ask voters to fund a $7.3 million expansion of its Utica-area school -- not in spring 2026, anyway.

Tuesday, the Waltham school board did not resurrect action on the proposed referendum, which had been tabled in November. Instead, the board extended the lease on its modular units or portable classrooms.

Before adjourning into closed session, Superintendent Kristi Eager confirmed the referendum would not go forward at this time.

Tuesday’s meeting was rapid-fire (just nine minutes in open session) and ultimately anticlimactic, with no discussion among the board.

Actually, the board tipped its hand when it released the agenda, which did not include a line-item vote to proceed with the referendum. More tellingly, the November discussion revealed a lack of support even within the board of education.

Board member Jake Aubry said then he felt there hadn’t been enough dialogue among members – “I’m kind of disappointed in that” – while board member Drew Partain said he felt the plans and price had grown too much for his liking.

“I’m not comfortable with doing anything more than the bare minimum,” Partain said.

This would have been the board’s second try. In April, Waltham asked Utica-area voters for nearly $10 million.

Though school remains relatively new (students began attending in 2019) and was constructed without raising taxes, an influx of pre-K and special needs students required more full-time staff and created a space crunch.

The spring referendum was defeated, but Waltham’s need for space is undiminished. This fall, the board discussed a reduced request of $7.3 million, funded with bonds that could be refinanced after eight to 10 years. Waltham’s goal was to hold the student-teacher ratio to 24-to-1.

According to a Shaw Local projection, Utica’s mayor would face a roughly 10% increase in taxes to Waltham. David Stewart most recently paid Waltham $2,002 in property taxes. (His total tax bill was $5,134).

Had the referendum been forward and passed, Stewart would have paid Waltham between $2,128 to $2,260, depending on the length of the bond issuance.