BIDDEFORD — Voters on Tuesday approved a $34 million bond to renovate Biddeford High School.

The bond passed by a vote of 4,573 to 2,986, or 63 percent to 37 percent.

The school, built in 1961 and expanded in 1971, has windows that let water in, a cafeteria so stuffy that windows have to be opened in winter, and a section that funnels cold air so strongly that students wear coats in class.

The building lacks storage space and violates handicapped accessibility laws.

Superintendent Sarah-Jane Poli said the poor state of the building was cited in a recent report that said the high school's accreditation was in jeopardy. She said the school is due for a review in April and she feared that lack of support for the renovation bond might land the school on probation.

Biddeford residents will pay the whole cost. The city got $22 million in 2005 for a new middle school, so it's unlikely to win more state funding anytime soon.

The plan is expected to raise taxes about $180 a year on a $200,000 home.

City Councilors David C. Flood and Patricia Boston backed an amendment that would have cut the bond to $28 million, but the proposal failed and both ultimately supported sending the $34 million proposal to voters.