FARMINGTON – SAD 9 directors met in the Mt. Blue High School library Tuesday evening to discuss potential districtwide cuts proposed in the current draft of the budget for the 2008-09 school year.

The budget draft, totaling $24,009,039, calls for an increase of $232,942 over this school year’s budget.

Suggested cuts

The cuts requested in the current draft 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 Foster 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 lead 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 and reduction of the elementary foreign language program to one language (most likely Spanish);

• 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.

Directors discussed several of the positions under consideration for elimination and made sure to consider quality of education as their top priority.

Need held

When discussing the potential literacy cuts, Bob Flick of Farmington said, “We need help in this area and I don’t see how we can afford to do this (eliminate two elementary literacy positions) to our children.”

Bill Reid of New Sharon echoed Flick’s sentiments. “It seems to me that having reading recovery in high school (as opposed to at the elementary level) is like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen,” he said, adding, “I am not in favor of cutting this position.”

Assistant Superintendent Susan Pratt assured directors that the literacy program would still be fully implemented.

In other areas, directors offered suggestions for alterations to programs in order to retain positions.

For instance, Yvette Robinson of Farmington suggested eliminating foreign language education for grades 1 and 2in order to retain both Spanish and French for older elementary students. “That is something we should take some time thinking about,” said Board Chairman Ray Glass of Farmington.

Academy Hill School and Cushing School Principal Darlene Paine thought Robinson’s idea had merit.

“Unless we lengthen the school day, I would be in support of not having foreign language in grades 1 and 2,” she said. “And the teachers I work with would be, too.” Paine cited the lack of time to devote to English, literacy and math studies and the difficulty of splitting up multi-grade classrooms.

Another item on the table is the potential closing of the Weld school either this fall or in June of 2009.

There are no students scheduled to attend grades K-2 next year and only 13 for grades 3-6. Surveys of Weld residents highlight disappointment but a feeling of inevitability with regard to closing the school. “It will be a sad day if we end up eventually going down this road,” said Cormier.

No final decisions regarding the 2008-09 budget were made and deliberations will continue in the Mt. Blue High School library on Tuesday, April 22. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. with an executive session followed by a regular meeting open to the public.