The school this fall will become the middle school for the towns of Sabattus, Wales and Litchfield.

Carrie Ricker School in Litchfield will become the grades three-through-five school for the three towns. Pre-kindergarten-through-grade-two students will stay put in all three towns.

The reconfiguration will save money and enhance middle school education, Caldwell said. “There’s a certain anxiety about what it’s going to look like.”

Parents Karla and Henry L’Heureux feel that anxiety. Their three children attend school in Litchfield, where they live. “Next year, they’ll all be split,” among three schools in two towns.

Their oldest will be bused from Litchfield to Sabattus, meaning a longer trip to school, Henry L’Heureux said.

“My biggest concern is making sure they have a smooth transition, that the kids know where their resources are and are familiar with the surroundings,” Karla said. She wondered what would happen to the gifted and talented program her children are in. “It’s going to be big changes.”

Because of the tough economy, the state is cutting money for education. What that means for Sabattus-Wales-Litchfield schools is $1 million less next year, from an $18 million budget.

Asking property taxpayers to make up the difference isn’t doable, so schools are being restructured. No school will close next year, but in 2011-12 either Wales Central School or Libby Tozier School in Litchfield likely will close.

Speaking at a well-attended community forum in Litchfield Tuesday night, Superintendent Jim Hodgkin explained the changes.

The question he’s been asked most is why the school board didn’t ask voters, parents, students and teachers about the changes before voting for them, Hodgkin said.

“The answer’s really simple,” he said. “There isn’t a person in this room, including myself, who would have chosen to move in this direction at this time.”

The board’s action was taken to create schools the towns can afford, he said.

There are advantages, he said, including richer opportunities for middle school students and better preparation for high school. Creating tri-town schools will save $686,000, mostly by cutting staff. That will mean larger classes.

Classes now range from 16 to 19 students. Next year, they’ll be 16 to 23, with the largest classes at the sixth grade. Class sizes for grades K-2 will remain small. Some 15½ positions will be cut, including six classroom teachers, five education technicians, a nurse, a part-time physical education teacher, a nurse, and a guidance counselor or social worker.

Because of retirements and resignations, three teachers likely will lose their jobs, Hodgkin said.

Finding savings by creating two tri-town schools means no programs have to be cut, Hodgkin said. But the district still has to find about $400,000 in additional cuts, he cautioned.

One parent asked whether there would be extra costs because students would be bused further.

Hodgkin said more analysis had to be done, but he believed transportation costs would not increase. “Geographically, we are not a very big district,” he said. The longest distance between schools is 10.4 miles, he said.

Another asked whether larger classes would jeopardize education.

No, Hodgkin said. Smaller classes are ideal, but the classes won’t be so large that they’ll hurt learning. The other choice would be to cut programs. If art or music were cut, “those would not be coming back right away.”

School board member Robert English said students from one school show up at Oak Hill High School stronger in some areas and weaker in others because the three schools have their own ways of teaching. Having one curriculum at one middle school “will give our students an equal opportunity to succeed in high school and life beyond,” he said.

On Wednesday, Sabattus Central School Principal Robert Brooks gave a tour of the school, showing how the six-year-old school would make a great middle school. It has a spacious cafeteria and library, a full-sized gym, abundant computers, wide corridors and extra classrooms.

The school was built for between 450 and 500 students. This year, it has 330. Next year, it will hold 350. “There’s room,” Brooks said.

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Public forum tonight at Sabattus
The public is invited to a meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Sabattus Central School to learn more about changes this fall at Wales, Sabattus and Litchfield schools. Superintendent Jim Hodgkin will explain why two schools will become tri-town schools and he will answer questions.

For more information go to: www.rsu4.org. Click on “reconfiguration” on the left.