Voters in the four towns that make up Nauset Public Schools on Tuesday gave the green light to $38.1 million in extra funding to cover the escalation in construction costs for the regional high school’s $169.9 million overhaul.

For voter Maya Beck, yes was an “easy decision.”

Born and raised in Provincetown, Beck has lived in Wellfleet for 15 years, where her kids attend school and she has two businesses in the community.

“The school is in desperate need. The kids deserve it, the teachers deserve it,” she said after voting at the Wellfleet Adult Community Center. “These are the kids that are going to be running the world. So I think it’s important that their education comes first.”

Voters considered two questions on Tuesday: whether to move ahead with the project and whether to establish a debt exclusion for the amount of money.

Uncertified results from town clerk offices in Orleans, Brewster, Eastham, and Wellfleet showed 4,209 votes supporting the additional $38.1 million in costs Tuesday night after polls closed, with 1,850 opposed.

Voters in all towns approved the debt exclusion by a vote of 4,249 in favor, and 1,806 opposed.

Wellfleet voters overwhelmingly approved both ballot questions, according to unofficial results released at 7:30 p.m. Voters approved the district school committee’s vote to authorize $38.1 million to pay additional costs of renovation. The vote passed by 614 to 116. The debt exclusion was approved by a vote of 590 to 142.

Preliminary results from Orleans showed voters approving the increase by 1,104 to 376 votes. The debt exclusion was approved by a vote of 1,107 to 372.

In Eastham, voters also backed the project, with 1,049 people voting in favor and 384 opposed. The debt exclusion also passed by a vote of 1,085 to 346 with two blank votes.

In Brewster the votes from town’s three precincts totaled 1,442 in favor of spending the additional $38.1 million, 974 opposed, and two blank votes. The debt exclusion passed with 1,467 in favor and 946 opposed. There were four blank votes on that question.

What were voters thinking about at the polls?

Money was top of mind for some voters on Tuesday. Others said they wanted the best for children.

Leaving the Eastham Town Hall, voter Richard Mansfield said he was a no.

“From what I understand, there was already $131 million. It’s quite a lot for a community of our size and age population,” he said.

Explaining her “yes” vote, Suzanne Requa-Trautz, of Eastham, said, “it has to be done.”

“It’s sort of ridiculous that it went over budget, but it’s not unpredictable. So, you know, it’s just like, ‘Bite the bullet and get it done,'” she said.

Michael Pearson moved from Dennis to Brewster 13 years ago. He and his wife have one child in fifth grade and one in seventh grade. Pearson is a business owner and his wife teaches in Dennis. He voted in support of the measures.

“It all seems very expensive, but it’s not going to get any cheaper,” Pearson said. “Houses have gone up and not come down. Why would the cost come down on this?”

Mary Beth Medeiros has a grandson in the Nauset Public Schools system. The Orleans voter supported the authorization of another $38.1 million and the debt exclusion.

“Our children are our future and they should have the best facilities and education and everything we can give them,” Medeiros said. “I believe in supporting them and their parents. I’m all about education and children having a good school that’s up to date, and everything else.”

Related:What voters need to know about Nauset High renovation project

Orleans resident David Light had only a few words as he left the Council on Aging voting station: “$160 million. That’s a lot for four small towns. I can see why so many people are moving to Maine.”

But Kevin Flynn, who left the same polling station shortly after, said he comes from an educated family and supported the measures.

“I believe the kids need a proper school and this town is getting older and older, so what we can offer to the younger people, we should give it to them,” he said.

What will the total project cost taxpayers?

The decision on the terms of the bond for the entire project will be made in May in conjunction with town administrators and finance directors, said Judith Schumacher, who is the Nauset Regional School Committee vice-chair, during an Eastham Select Board meeting in December. School officials will also have a better idea of what the interest rate will be then.

“The Regional School Committee is the borrower,” said Schumacher.

A 30-year level debt bond at a 4.65% interest rate would cost Brewster taxpayers $67.87 per $100,000 of assessed value, according to an estimate. In Eastham, the cost would be $38.42, Orleans $37.41 and Wellfleet $29.55.

A 25-year bond with a 4.5% interest rate, would see Brewster taxpayers paying $87.91 per $100,000 of assessed value. Eastham taxpayers would pay $51.70, Orleans $40.38 and Wellfleet $40.10.

“This is not for the $38.1 million, this is for the whole thing,” said Schumacher. “We’re looking at the whole maximum amount if we borrowed $133 million.”

What’s the history of the vote on the Nauset high school project?

In March 2021, residents in Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet and Brewster backed the Nauset Regional High School rebuild project. The high school is in North Eastham and has a student population of 780.

Voters in Eastham, Orleans and Wellfleet overwhelmingly approved the project by 79%, 74%, and 88%, respectively. In Brewster, which will pay nearly 48% of the costs of the capital project, 60% of voters said yes.

The school’s overhaul was first budgeted as $131.8 million, according to a cost estimate in 2019. Of that estimate, $104.9 million was budgeted for construction.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority will contribute about $36 million to the project in grant funding.But after the project faced delays due to the pandemic, bids for construction came in October millions over budget.

The lowest bidder — Brait Builders, which won the bid — came in at $134.4 million, representing a $29.7 million increase from the 2019 cost estimate.

The School Building Committee recommended to the Nauset Regional School Committee that the district go back to the voters to request the extra funding.

When did the idea of fixing Nauset high school start?

The project has two parts — the renovation and addition to the high school and the establishment of temporary learning spaces through a series of modular classrooms.

The modular classrooms will allow for learning during the main building project.

In 2014, school officials began to ponder what to do about the aging Nauset Regional High School, which they say is in need of millions of dollars in repairs to bring it up to the current building code.

They decided the best route was a combination of both rebuilding and renovating the building.

In 2015, the district applied to be a part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority school building program but was rejected. The district was accepted when it applied again in the fall of 2016.

Spring town meeting voters approved a $1.3 million feasibility study in 2017, the first step in the state building authority program.

From 2017 to 2019, school officials underwent a two-year design process.

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