POLAND — The Regional School Unit 16 school committee met Monday night to deal with a $319,500 reduction in state aid.

The key to meeting a reduction of this size is a plan put forward by school administration to reduce the school year by four days.

The four days would be furlough days, taken on staff workshop days, to minimize the impact on student learning.

Every employee of the school system would see a reduction in pay equivalent to four days’ pay. Cumulatively, this would save the district approximately $175,000.

The remaining $144,500 would be realized through cuts made in the school district’s operating budget.

While the four furlough days are key to meeting the goal, there’s some indication that the RSU16 Education Association is not happy, believing that too much of the burden would be placed on union members.

School Superintendent Dennis Duquette said there is no money in the budget to avoid furloughs and the alternative, which would be to suspend programs by laying off approximately 16 people, is the last thing he would ever want to do.

“It makes me nauseous just to have to go through the budget in this way,” Duquette said.

Poland Regional High School Principal Cari Nedd emphasized that this would be a suspension of programs and not an elimination, should the teachers reject the furlough day plan.

“We tried to bring some equity so we would all feel it to the same depth,” Elm Street School principal Mary Martin said.

Board Chairman Dave Griffiths asked whether any on the board would like to ask townspeople for the money.

Other board members figured that was the last thing that ought to happen at this point.

The board adopted a reduction-in-force plan that listed positions to be eliminated as follows: two technology positions, one custodial position, 3.5 music positions (the entire K-8 program), one foreign language position, two tech-ed positions, one librarian position, 1.5 guidance positions, one-half psychological services position, 3.5 ed-tech/office staff positions.

This reduction-in-force plan was made subject to negotiations with the teachers for furlough days in lieu of the layoffs.

The school committee’s budget subcommittee will meet with the executive committee of the Education Association tonight to begin negotiations to avoid layoffs.

If negotiations with the Education Association fail to reach a conclusion before Dec. 7, notices of layoffs will go out the following day, Dec. 8.

“The board took these actions in order to set the process in motion, which it must do for legal purposes, but are hopeful that layoffs will not have to happen and the negotiations will be successful,” Duquette said.

Duquette realises it could take several weeks for the Education Association negotiating team to bring a proposal to teachers for a vote by association members.