JAY — The Regional School Unit 73 board of directors will meet Thursday, March 17, to discuss the 2016-17 budget, which reflects a proposal to reconfigure grades at the elementary schools. 

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Spruce Mountain High School. 

The proposed budget is $18.84 million, which is $191,541 less than this fiscal year.

Superintendent Kenneth Healey said last month that the restructuring affects the budget.

“It would have been easier to do nothing,” he said.

At the Feb. 25 board meeting, Healey unveiled a plan to have all pre-kindergarten, first and second grades at Livermore Elementary School and all third, fourth and fifth grades at Jay Elementary School. He said the plan would provide academic continuity and better education for students, and improve staff communication. He also said it may result in program efficiencies.

Both schools have grades kindergarten through five, with Livermore also housing all district pre-kindergarten students.

The plan calls for renaming the schools: Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore and Spruce Mountain Elementary School in Jay.

More details on reconfiguring the grades were discussed by the board last week, when elementary school principals presented information on the plan.

Jay Elementary School Principal Chris Hollingsworth said the change would put to rest program differences and result in a true mixture of Spruce Mountain students.

Livermore Elementary School Principal Kevin Harrington said the pre-kindergarten, first and second grade teachers met March 9, and the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers met March 10. The meetings, he said, helped alleviate some anxiety.

“The idea itself is solid and worth looking into,” Harrington said.

One teacher expressed doubts about the plan’s possible cost savings. She said there would be definite costs, such as school name changes and moving expenses.

The principals reviewed floor plans for the two schools and determined there isn’t enough space at the Jay school for the pre-kindergarten program, so that idea was shelved.

If the schools are restructured, one teacher from Jay would be relocated to Livermore.

If the schools don’t change, most class sizes at Jay will range from 14 to 18 students next year. Kindergarten enrollment next year is expected to drop to 13 to 14 students per class, which is considered too few. Kindergarten classes in 2017-18 and 2018-19 would fall within the accepted range.

Enrollment at the Livermore school is high for first grade, so the following year the second grade would see more students per class than is desirable. That trend would continue in upcoming years, if the number of students stays the same.

Transportation issues would require the Jay school to accept students by 7:25 a.m. Students at the Livermore school would have to be released at 2:15 p.m. instead of 2:25 p.m.

Livermore elementary students ride the bus to Jay and back to Livermore. Restructuring the schools would eliminate the extra ride.

School board member Joel Pike asked for more detailed information on the bus routes and related issues. He said there might be savings in some areas but extra costs in others.

“I need to see it,” he said.

Several teachers said they were disappointed with the way the proposal was initially presented. Healey met with Livermore officials in January when he said he  planned to present a restructuring plan as part of the 2016-17 budget. He had not announced it to district staff at that time.

Livermore Elementary School grades, enrollment, students per room:

Pre-K 87 14-15

Kindergarten 62 15-16

Grade 1 60 20

Grade 2 59 19-20

Grade 3 47 11-12

Grade 4 66 22

Grade 5 42 14

Jay Elementary School grades, enrollment, students per room:

Kindergarten 62 15-16

Grade 1 53 14

Grade 2 64 20-21

Grade 3 52 17-18

Grade 4 51 17

Grade 5 62 20-21

Spruce Mountain Primary School (Livermore) grades, enrollment, students per room:

Pre-K 87 14-15

Kindergarten 124 15-16

Grade 1 113 16-17

Grade 2 123 20

Spruce Mountain Elementary School (Jay) grades, enrollment, students per room:

Grade 3 99 16-17

Grade 4 117 19-20

Grade 5 104 17-18