Tobey School could remain open one year

For years, budget writers have looked towards closing the state-owned Tobey School, which would save money by sending troubled teens to less-costly private institutions. Governor John Lynch proposed the move in his budget address. Yesterday, the House Finance Committee voted to put off the closure for at least a year:

But lawmakers yesterday said they felt that closing the school at the end of June, as Lynch's plan proposed, was too soon. Daniel Barrick reports on the vote in this morning's Concord Monitor:

"I'm ready to close Tobey School today, but it might make more sense to delay," said Rep. Fran Wendelboe, a Republican from New Hampton. "I think we owe them a year. This was awful abrupt."

The proposal approved yesterday would fund Tobey for another year while directing the state health department to study whether the school could merge in some way with the Anna Philbrook Center, a state-run facility that treats preteens with mental illnesses.