BETHEL — The SAD 44 Board of Directors on Monday authorized Superintendent David Murphy to begin negotiations with Norway Savings Bank for leasing space for the district’s central offices.

For the past six or seven years, the central offices have been located in the former Ethel Bisbee School, which was closed as an elementary school years ago. It is on Philbrook Street. The bank building is at One Parkway.

If the board decides to move the central offices, the District Exchange, also located in the former school, would also have to move, Murphy said. The District Exchange serves as a community food pantry and provider of items people in need may require.

The possible central office relocation is one way to cut district costs, Murphy said. Now, about $26,000 is spent annually for utilities and snowplowing. He said costs for bank space are expected to be considerably lower.

The possible central office move is also a part of the overall look at the option of closing other district properties, such as Andover Elementary School and Woodstock Elementary School.

If either of these schools should be closed in the near future, then one could become the site of the central office. However, Murphy said the district wants to keep all its options open.

If the former Bisbee school is closed, a decision on its future use, if any, would be made at a later time, he said.

The possible restructuring of the district’s properties is all part of preparation for the development of a 2011-12 school budget.

Murphy has said that the amount of state aid to education, which has been decreasing significantly during the past few years, is expected to reach the minimum provided within the next year or so. Also, federal stimulus money that has helped retain some positions is expected to end during the next school year.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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