School board hears public comment on proposed reductions

FARMINGTON – Teachers, parents and members of the community addressed the Mt. Blue Regional School District school board Tuesday evening, commenting on a series of deep cuts proposed for the district’s 2010-2011 budget.

Board Chair Raymond Glass, expressing surprise at the relatively small turnout of roughly 50 people, moved the board through the proposed cuts quickly, covering most of the position cuts during the three hour meeting. At the request of the music department, the school board did not cover the proposed reduction of a general music teaching position at Mt. Blue Middle School and the reduction of half a Strings teaching position at the elementary school level. Those reductions will be discussed at Thursday’s meeting, at 7 p.m.

However, the board did cover several reductions which provoked significant discussion, including cuts to the world languages department. Under the current proposal, two foreign language teaching positions at the elementary school level would be cut, ending the district’s elementary language program. Two years ago, the board approved reducing the program to third grade and up, as well as making Spanish the only choice at the elementary level. These cuts would completely eliminate the program at that level, with students able to take a foreign language at seventh grade for the first time.

World Language Program coordinator, Lisa Dalrymple spoke in defense of the elementary program, sharing some essays written by high school freshmen who had been taking Spanish since elementary school, noting the importance of learning languages early.

“We have a small gold mine in the pocket of a small, poor, rural community,” Dalrymple told the board.

Dalrymple also spoke against another proposed cut; the Mandarin Chinese language instructor, whose position is paid for in part by the Chinese government. The proposed budget looks to save the district’s share of $21,000, but Dalrymple pointed to Chinese as a critical language in the future.

Director Yvette Robinson, of Farmington, asked Dalrymple if she could think of a way to free up the $21,000 elsewhere in the language department.

“If Chinese is the wave of the future,” Robinson said, “is there somewhere else where funding could be freed up?”

Director Robert Pullo, of Wilton, agreed with the notion, noting that last year, the school board had decided to put several line items back into the budget.

“I don’t see that as feasible this year,” Pullo said. “If something is going to go back in, then something needs to come back out.”

The reduction of a half of a health teaching position at the middle school, with the intent of having science teachers fold some health curriculum into their own classes, also generated discussion. Teachers and community members spoke to the importance of teaching health to eighth graders. Education director Kathy George, at the Franklin County Children’s Task Force, noted that the district’s middle school health program had helped her agency implement “Baby Think It Over,” which utilizes computer-controlled infant simulators. George said she was concerned this program would not have adequate support from science teachers trying to squeeze health into their already busy schedules.

Several reductions proposed by the administration were not addressed by members of the public, including the three classroom teaching positions at Academy Hill School, Cape Cod Hill School and Cascade Brook School, as well as the reductions of a physical education teacher at the middle school, a science teacher at the high school and half a math teacher, also at the high school. Superintendent Michael Cormier said that many reductions were being proposed as a function of decreased student enrollment.

Similarly, there was no debate over a proposed wage freeze, or a plan to reduce teachers’ prep time every other day so they can conduct learning labs for students in need of assistance and monitor study halls. Both of those plans would require agreement from the teachers’ union.

A plan to eliminate a pair of librarian positions, in exchange for using Library Tech III throughout most of the district, did provoke discussion. Teachers Dan Ryder and Carla Miller both spoke to the value of certified librarians, noting they had access to resources and abilities which surpassed techs.

“Without adequate resources,” Miller said, “I cannot teach.”

The budget proposal regarding librarians would attempt to take advantage of two retirements, utilizing certified librarians at the high school and Academy Hill School. Those librarians would help oversee the library techs, who would work throughout every other school.

The school board also spent time on a series of proposed extracurricular reductions, including the elimination of several club stipends and freshman sports at the high school, basketball and football. Tim Shumway, teacher and football coach, said the freshman football team was an important element of the school’s sport as it allowed younger students to get playing time, rather than participating on the junior varsity team and being unable to compete due to the team’s large size.

The cuts, in total, represent a 6.5 percent reduction of the current budget, a decrease of $1,535,595. Despite that significant cut, the local assessment would need to rise by $184,238 to cover the loss of subsidy, a 2 percent increase.