Suzanne Joyce, right, president of the Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber of Commerce, casts her ballot Tuesday at Westbrook Community Center. Robert Lowell / American Journal

Westbrook voters in Tuesday’s referendum approved the city’s $51 million pared back school budget after rejecting an earlier spending plan by 53 votes last month.

The School Committee and City Council approved cutting the earlier, rejected $51.7 million school spending plan by $722,000 and voters Tuesday passed it 997-859, a 138-vote margin. Voters cast 1,858 ballots including two blanks, representing about a 12% turnout of 15,243 registered voters as of last month.

The June voter turnout was 10.8%.

“We are thankful for the result of the vote to pass the school budget. There was a great turnout which is positive for our whole community,” Superintendent Peter Lancia said in an email Wednesday to the American Journal. “There was a lot of involvement over the last month, and that speaks volumes about Westbrook and our schools.”

Leading up to this week’s vote, the school department hosted a community meeting on July 11 to discuss the latest budget and Lancia sent out a letter July 12 reminding people to vote.

Items cut from the School Committee’s earlier budget include $121,984.46 to hire a curriculum coordinator; $90,686.11 to hire a truck driving instructor for the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center; $94,772 to fill an open mechanic’s position; $93,688.38 to fill an open Saccarappa Elementary School Grade 3 teacher position; and $40,000 for computer repairs at the middle and high schools.

The failed budget would have “addressed the growing needs of students, the low wages of our employees, and the ongoing improvement of our facilities,” Lancia wrote in his July 12 letter.

Acting Westbrook Mayor and City Council President David Morse said Wednesday in an email, “Clearly the efforts by the school department, as well as citizen advocates, to raise awareness of this year’s extraordinary budget needs and (to) answer concerns made a decisive difference in the outcome. Most voters saw the impactful cuts made to the original budget and felt that rejecting this second budget could negatively impact students.”

Tuesday’s passed budget, including adult education, is up $3.8 million or 8.09% over the $47.2 million budget for the past school year. The failed budget would have represented an increase of $4.5 million, or a 9.62% increase.

The school share of the tax rate to support education is now $10.44 per $1,000 of valuation, up from $9.24, or 13%.

The combined municipal and school tax rate is set at $18.23 per $1,000 of valuation, up $1.55 from $16.68, or 9.3%. It means taxes on a home assessed at $400,000 will jump up $620 from $6,672 to $7,292.

Lancia said Wednesday that he hopes everyone “will continue to learn about our schools, the exceptional learning that goes on every day, and the success of all of our amazing children.”

Westbrook’s school referendum rejected last month marked the first since voter approval was required in 2008.