LISBON — The School Committee on Monday approved a cooperative agreement between Regional School Unit 4 and Lisbon Adult and Community Education at Gartley Street School.
Adult education programs will now be offered at Oak Hill Adult Education in Wales.
“We will still offer HiSET test preparation classes, assisting with college preparation and workforce-ready programs at Gartley Street School,” said Kristie Morin, Gartley Street School director.
The School Committee approved the transfer of no more than $500,000 to the regular instruction cost center. This money comes from student and staff support, system administration, facilities maintenance, transportation and buses, special education and other instruction cost centers.
This transfer is due to not having enough funds for Gartley Street School staff and pulling money to offset the cost during this fiscal year.
“Although revenues are now starting to come in, it was never budgeted correctly and we had to end up doing a transfer,” Superintendent Richard Green said.
Austin said that Gartley Street School is still efficient and that it saves Lisbon from out-of-district costs.
The board also supported the Maine School Boards Association’s letter on public education funding. The letter describes how the public doesn’t support Gov. Paul LePage’s budget, which proposes eliminating local superintendents in favor of regional ones.
“I do not believe that it would save money for the state to move to that and I do think it would become problematic for local schools,” Chairwoman Traci Austin said.
Due to the district’s relatively small size, Austin said she fears that moving to a regional superintendent would create a hierarchy for response time.
“Different issues will become more challenging to potentially get (hold) of a regional superintendent,” Austin said.
“No way could one superintendent take care of everything (LePage) wants superintendents to take care of,” School Committee member Pete Reed said.
The school budget referendum vote will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Lisbon High School gymnasium.
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