NEW GLOUCESTER – Wednesday’s SAD 15 hearing on the proposed $17,934,622 budget for 2005-06 was held without any members of the public present.
On June 14 voters in Gray and New Gloucester go to the polls to consider the budget in nine warrant articles.
The overall budget contains an increase of 4.98 percent from the previous 2004-05 budget. Increases of fixed costs boosted the budget 3.95 percent, and increases in special education, the Gifted and Talented program, transportation and technology accounted for 1.03 percent. The budget includes hiring a second assistant principal for Gray-New Gloucester High School to deal with increased numbers of students and implement recommendations from a high school accreditation team review.
Increased state subsidy and the school board’s commitment to hold the line on program expenses returns $945,467 to taxpayers in Gray and New Gloucester, resulting in a reduction for the first time of the mill rate for education.
The mill rate decrease for Gray is 1.04, and in New Gloucester it’s 1.19. Included separately is a warrant article requesting local funding for all-day kindergarten districtwide at $166,084.
The kindergarten program increases Gray’s contribution at $111,276 or 0.14 mills, and New Gloucester’s increase totals $54,808 or 0.09 mills.
In other business, the Gray-New Gloucester High School graduation will take place at 11 a.m. June 11 at the Civic Center in Portland. The Gray-New Gloucester Project Graduation trip will start that evening, in which 75 students and nine chaperones will board two buses to New York City. The daylong tour includes a city tour to Ground Zero, Greenwich Village, Rockefeller Center, Soho, Wall Street, the United Nations and other landmarks. The group will attend a Mets baseball game at Shea Stadium.
The tour then progresses to the Nederlander Theater to see the musical “Rent,” followed by a trip to the top of the Empire State Building before boarding the bus to return to Maine, said high school adviser Audrey Mooney.
In other business, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ review of Gray-New Gloucester High School has resulted in accreditation. The group noted areas of ongoing work yet to be achieved.
The accreditation team expressed concern regarding the school’s adherence to the standard on mission and expectations for student learning. These concerns have placed the school on warning for this standard.
High school Principal Paul Penna said he will submit a special progress report by April 1, 2006, to clarify the learning expectations for which all students are responsible. The school will clarify for the school community the connection between the academic expectations in the mission, the Maine Learning Results and local assessments.
In-service training for staff and committee teams will work toward achieving these requirements.
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