POLAND – A top high school administrator will split her job with a teacher, allowing both women to spend more time with their new families and saving the school system enough money to hire another teacher.

Beginning this fall, Angela Atkinson-Duina, Poland Regional High School’s dean of faculty, will share her job with humanities teacher Erin Connor. Both women recently had babies, and the move will allow them to work fewer hours. Atkinson-Duina will work half time. Connor will serve as dean half time and will teach one advanced English class.

The salary savings will allow the school to hire another humanities teacher, according to School Committee Chairman Ike Levine.

He said he views the move as a “win, win, win” situation because Atkinson-Duina and Connor will get the time off they want and the school system will be able to keep experienced faculty in the school.

– Lindsay Tice
Auburn library work marches on

AUBURN – Crews building Auburn’s new library are almost finished with the steel structure, according to director Rosemary Waltos.

Next, crews will begin pouring the concrete slabs for the building’s floors and building the walls to enclose it. The building should be entirely enclosed by the end of the summer, when work should move indoors.

The expanded library will feature a larger children’s section and a separate area for young adult books, computer classrooms and community meeting rooms. The new library should be complete in spring 2006, she said.

– Scott Taylor
Free buses Wednesday

Lewiston-Auburn bus service will open its doors free of charge Wednesday to mark the 11th Annual Commute Another Way Day.

It’s part of an effort encouraging people to leave their cars at home for one day, opting for more eco-friendly choices like van pooling, walking, biking or taking the bus.

CityLink has offered free bus service on Commute Another Way Day for the past two years. The system already offers a free shuttle around the Twin Cities downtowns, but will be giving free rides on all of its routes all day.

– Scott Taylor
Poland schools record surplus

POLAND – Poland schools will have $300,000 in surplus this year. Officials will give the money back to the town.

School Committee members learned last week that spending cuts, savings and changes to the food service program will land the school system in the black at the end of the fiscal year. The food service program alone, which was $70,000 in debt four years ago, will contribute $50,000 to the surplus.

Food service workers saved the money by reducing food waste, joining a food co-op and increasing efficiency, according to School Committee Chairman Ike Levine. More students are also buying lunch.

– Lindsay Tice