By Nick P. Angelides,Special to the Sun Journal

WALES – “It’s back, it’s all back!” These were the words roaring from some Wales’ residents during a special town meeting Saturday in which taxpayers agreed on a new Wales school budget that would allow the return of numerous programs that were cut at the June 10 town meeting.

With a passing vote of 119 to 27, the school budget of $2,030,329 with newly announced additional state funding of up to $80,000 for special education needs, promised by Gov. John Baldacci, will allow the return of art, music, physical education, health, gifted and talented, Spanish, after-school activities and high school transportation.

The budget is still less than the school board’s original recommendation of $2,086,168, but is an increase of $146,852 from the $1,883,477 budget that was decided on last month.

“This is what democracy is supposed to look like,” said Rep. Nancy Smith, D-Monmouth, alluding to the hard work that was put in by residents to come to a compromise, as well as the line of people that stretched outside to the school’s parking lot 20 minutes after the meeting was supposed to start. “We found things that could be changed and we changed them. I am so proud of this town, the healing is starting,” she said.

School board member Robert English said that what was thought to be state funding allocated to certain areas, such as staff assessment, technology and software, was later proved to be incorrect. “We now know that we can flatline those line items to help our budget.” This freed up $25,839 in the budget.

Cutting back from two third-grade teachers to one helped reduce the budget by $30,000. English said this was due to the change in student-teacher ratio that has brought the town within the state recommendation.

School Union 44 also has agreed to allocate $54,000 to assist in special education and out-of-district placement from funds it has been accruing from past years.

“I am ecstatic but also regretful because we have lost two really great teachers that have taken work elsewhere when their positions were cut,” Zenobia Plengey-Martin said. “But in order for my two children to be able to compete and meet [state] standards, all these programs are essential. I am thrilled.”

Friday-night meeting

Elbert Derick, a concerned taxpayer and a resident of Wales since 1971, said he believes that although a compromise was met, that the community is not yet in the clear.

“I think the budget is fair, but we could save more money,” he said. “The problem is that all of the concern that is here will wash away in a week, and next year our taxes will go up again.”

Residents like Robert Giroux are aiming to see that a budget crisis like this doesn’t happen again. Friday night Giroux orchestrated a private meeting of nine taxpayers who supported the school and others like Derick, who are concerned for the town’s property tax.

Town members frowned at this action, deeming it “undemocratic.”

“Yes I am the bad guy,” Giroux said. “But what brought me to call the meeting was that people were getting hot, and we had the town splitting in half over the school,” he said. “On one side, people can’t pay their taxes. But (they) will and not pay for something they should pay for like their oil,” he said. “And there are people on the other side of the issue who are passionate about their school and want their kids to have their programs. Signs were going up; emotions were going up.”

One of the signs that Giroux referred to was a message he removed from the Wales Central School marquee that read “Why have you forsaken us?” He removed that message and put up “Have a safe and happy summer” in front of former principal Christine Cameroon, who offered her resignation Friday.

In addition to attempting to make peace on both sides, “people bothered the governor. I bothered the commissioner of education, and we got lucky,” Giroux said. “We cut our taxes and got our school programs back. I do not look at this as a compromise; I look at this as a win-win situation.”

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