FARMINGTON – There was not a spare seat in the Mt. Blue High School library Tuesday evening as SAD 9 directors held a public forum on the $24 million draft budget for 2008-09.

The figure is $232,942 more than this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The spending plan calls for eliminating 16 positions, cutting five to half-time and creating some lower-level ones to cover gaps.

Superintendent Michael Cormier said many of those losing their jobs could apply for open positions around the nine-town district.

The 16 jobs proposed for elimination are:

• One classroom teacher at Weld Elementary School;

• One literacy teacher at W. G. Mallett School in Farmington;

• One literacy teacher at Gerald D. Cushing School in Wilton;

• Two teachers in the Special Education program;

• Two computer integrators in grades K-8;

• One teacher in the forestry program at Forster Regional Applied Technology Center in Farmington;

• Assistant director of support services in the transportation department;

• One bus driver/maintenance worker.

• Two-day custodians, one at W.G. Mallett School in Farmington and the other at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon;

• One bus driver;

• One lube technician at the bus garage;

• One education technician III in the alternative education program at Mt. Blue Middle School in Farmington; and

• The contracted flute teacher in the music program.

Positions that would be reduced from full-time to half-time include:

• an elementary foreign language teacher;

• a health teacher at Mt. Blue Middle School;

• a family and consumer science teacher (home economics) at Mt. Blue Middle School;

• an English teacher at Mt. Blue High School; and

• a business education teacher at Mt. Blue High School.

The lower-level position to be created is an education technician III to work with the forestry program.

Cormier stressed three criteria in formulating the draft: Essential Programs and Services would help determine how money would be spent and resources allocated, classroom size would remain the same, and no programs would be eliminated but may be changed.

Many SAD 9 employees who would be affected and their supporters packed the library to voice their concerns.

“Prevention saves money; health education is prevention,” said Middle School health teacher Kathleen Kerr, whose position would be reduced to half-time.

Language teacher Lisa Dalrymple voiced similar sentiments when discussing the elementary school foreign language program, which also faces a reduction from 40 minutes a week to 20 minutes a week.

“We have a very successful program,” she said, “minimal, but very successful.”

Some faculty even had ideas for alternative actions.

Foreign language teacher Bob Nielsen proposed relocating administrative offices and using money saved to help keep health, and family and consumer sciences full-time.

English teacher Leann Condon asked that directors not reinstate a half-time English position in order to keep two elementary school literacy positions.

Directors said they would consider all proposals closely at the next week’s budget meeting.

Cormier assured everyone affected by the potential cuts that none of them were proposed lightly and that the district placed great value on each of the programs, but some economic concessions need to be made.

“We put them here because we are in an incredibly difficult place as a state,” he said, referring to the economy.

The SAD 9 Board of Directors will continue to work on the budget at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, in the Mt. Blue High School library.