FARMINGTON – SAD 9 directors approved paying stipends for several activities Tuesday, but didn’t set stipend amounts. This allows the board’s contract resolution committee to negotiate the stipends with the teachers’ union.
Superintendent Mike Cormier recommended supporting the stipends for advisers, instructors and coaches for: the Syncopations, Jazz Band, Mt. Blue Middle School Show Choir, Civil Rights Team, Health Occupations Students of America and tennis coaches for Mt. Blue High School.
“It’s acknowledgment of a tremendous amount of work,” Cormier said.
Cormier also said there have been stipends listed for marching band director and assistant director, but there hasn’t been a marching band for at least 13 years. There is also a stipend for the Jazz Band instructor, but it wasn’t funded in the budget.
Students do fundraisers for coaches for the tennis team. That previously was a club, but the Maine Principals’ Association moved tennis from a club to a sport.
SAD 9 Director Bob Neal of New Sharon said he couldn’t disagree with Cormier that these are all worthwhile, but “we’re coming into budget … and we don’t have any money.”
Even if the board approved stipends for advisers, instructors or coaches of the activities, the board still has another opportunity to revisit funding the stipends during budget review, Cormier said
Director Jo Josephson of Temple said she understood Neal’s concern, but a stipend is a small amount of money, and the district is “getting a huge bang for our buck.”
Director Neil Stinneford of Weld said he didn’t think they would get out of it for less than $10,000 for that group.
“That’s not a small amount,” Stinneford said.
For the amount of kids involved, it is a small amount, Josephson said.
These people are working very hard, Bob Flick of Farmington said.
Although the board approved all of the stipends, some passed by a narrower margin than others.
In other business, Cormier said Wednesday that he informed directors that SAD 9 may be eligible to receive money to offset its $573,590 investment to make the district’s schools and other buildings more energy-efficient.
The contractor slated to do the work, which is ibControls, will work with district officials to apply for up to $100,000, with a renewable yearly option, through Efficiency Maine, Cormier said.
The district’s investment is over a 10-year-period.
Efficiency Maine is a statewide effort to promote the more efficient use of electricity, help Maine residents and businesses reduce energy costs, and improve Maine’s environment. Funded by electricity consumers, it’s administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, according to its Web site, efficiencymaine.com.
The commission created Efficiency Maine to fulfill the Energy Conservation Act, which directs the commission to develop and, to the extent of available funds, implement energy conservation programs.
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