By Winslow Durgin,Special to the Sun Journal

MINOT – The School Committee on Tuesday night approved a budget request that calls for a $500,000 increase in school spending for next year.

While the overall cost increase would go from $3.2 to $3.7 million, the amount the town would have to raise through property taxes would increase about $219,000 if March town meeting voters approve the full amount of the School Committee’s request.

The special education budget accounts for the greatest portion of the $500,000 with a budget that’s $190,000 higher than this year’s.

“I’m planning on 20 percent more kids with special needs. I expect the number to go from 55 to 68, K through 12,” said Special Education Director Barbara Hasenfus.

Hasenfus said she anticipates needing to hire on additional special education teacher and four more education technicians.

“It’s a huge change for Minot and not just for academic help but additional speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy will be needed,” added Hasenfus.

The cost for tuition for the town’s high school students is projected to increase by $85,000.

Minot Consolidated School Principal Margaret Pitts said the increase can mainly be attributed to an increase in the amount the state sets for tuition costs. Pitts pointed out that the town has 42 students going into high school from the eighth grade at Minot, compared to the 36 who are now seniors at various high schools.

After formally approving the budget to present to voters at March town meeting, the School Committee took a special vote approving the establishment of an all-day kindergarten program at the Minot Consolidated School.

Last summer, with enrollment for the current year’s kindergarten down, the School Committee agreed to ask kindergarten teacher Ann Hobart to teach just one class with all 24 students all day, rather than split them into two smaller half-day classes.

The experiment proved highly successful greatly pleasing both parents and students, and the School Committee agreed the results were worth the cost to continue the program.

The budget request for regular, grades K though 8 instruction is up about $72,000 – nearly $45,000 of which the school attributed to its decision to go with the all-day kindergarten. The School Committee also approved a plan for the lease/purchase of a modular unit with two additional classrooms. The School Committee estimated that this adds about $93,000 to next year’s budget.

The panel noted that when it met earlier with the town Budget Committee, the inclusion of a modular unit was the only item of disagreement between the two committees. The budget committee is not in favor of the modular unit.

A public hearing to discuss all items going before the town meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Minot Consolidated School.

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