Budgeteers push for no new teachers at high school

Committee suggests reduction in guidance department, cuts at middle school

Scuttling seven new teaching positions at Kennett High School; reducing the number of high school guidance counselors; and revisiting the number of teachers at the middle school those were among the recommendations of Conway Municipal Budget Committee to Conway School Board Wednesday evening.The Conway School Board will gather for a special meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Conway Elementary School. At that time, the board is expected to discuss recommendations from the budget committee."These are just recommendations," Melissa Stacey, chair of the budget committee, said to her colleagues during the group's three-hour meeting Wednesday. "It's not a motion to make it so. We have not voted on whether we will support any of this until after the (Feb. 14) public hearing."Later, budget committee will nail down its position on specific articles.There were 11 recommendations offered by budget committee members with six of those ultimately being recommended by the majority of the members. The committee voted as follows: Karen Umberger, the selectmen's representative to the committee, asked that there be no increase in school personnel except the librarian position and additional custodians at the high school. Also, if an aide is required for special education, it should be left in the budget. Not recommended 13-0. (Umberger, who was not present at the meeting, offered her recommendations in writing.) Stacey recommended putting $38,532 into the budget for the purpose of restoring a second grade teacher at Pine Tree School. Not recommended 2-9-2 (Stacey and Howard "Crow" Dickinson in the minority while Deb Deschenes and Betty Boucher abstained).Stacey felt it was important to maintain looping, a program that keeps teachers with groups of students for consecutive years, at Pine Tree Elementary; she said the loss of a teacher would hurt programing at the school.Deschenes said, "I don't think this board or the school board should be directing the administration in which programs they should be taking out," adding that the two second grade classes would have 10 and 11 students in them next year without the reduction in staff."We want to know what your vision of the schools should be," Martha Cray, assistant school superintendent, said. "We are asking you be very specific. In the past there has been a dollar amount (suggested in reducing the budget), and no one has been very happy." Phil Dighello asked to see a full-day kindergarten aide request for John Fuller School, costing $16,082, removed. Recommended 11-1-1 (Deschenes in the minority; Stacey abstained). Umberger asked to see the $88,000 contracted groundskeeper position at the new high school be eliminated. Not recommended 13-0."That cut would limit it to one groundskeeper at the new high school, I think that's crazy," Deschenes said."I don't believe you can do it with just one," Doug Swett, of the committee, said. "What if the person is out sick for a week?"Fellow budgeteer Bob Drinkhall agreed."I'm opposed to cutting here," he said. "I happen to agree with maintaining what we invest in." Umberger recommended removing the equipment for the new grounds at the new high school from the budget and placing this equipment as an article on the warrant. Recommended 7-6 (Deschenes, Drinkhall, Stacey, Etienne Vallee, Dickinson and Maureen Seavey in the minority)."It's a one-time expense to get the equipment so it should be a warrant article," Pat Libby, of the committee, said."It would be impossible for the groundskeeper, who you just voted in favor of, to keep the grounds nice without any equipment," Deschenes offered.Budgeteer Bill Jones agreed the equipment was necessary, but agreed with Libby that it should be a warrant article."Have faith in the people," he said. "The people in this town who vote listen to the budget committee."Rick Paquette agreed."The voter in this town is concerned about doing the right thing," he said. "When they see unanimous support from the school board and the budget committee, they will do the right thing." Umberger recommended the school board look at class sizes in the elementary school and middle school ... and to present the budget committee with progress reports each quarter. Not recommended 13-0. Paquette asked that school board review the slots in the middle school and fill the requested teaching slots at the high school with certified English teachers out of the middle school. Recommended 10-3 (Dickinson, Seavey and Deschenes in the minority).Seavey warned that there may be teachers qualified at the middle school who could teach English at the high school, but they might not want to relocate there. Libby asked the Conway School Board to look at the middle school staff levels. Recommended 12-2-1 (Deschenes and Seavey in the minority while Boucher abstained). Stacey made a motion to have Article 14, which seeks voter approval for $60,000 for security systems at Pine Tree and John Fuller schools, removed from the warrant. Not recommended 2-10-1 (Libby and Stacey in the minority; Boucher abstained)."I recommend the school board consider removing it," Stacey said. "I truly believe this is not the year for it."Swett felt the article should go to the voters. "We're not out of the line of fire here," he said. "... What we need to do is is make an attempt to have people stop propping doors open.""I love democracy, let the article go to the voters," Paquette added. Drinkhall asked the school board to take a look at the number of guidance counselors in the high school (four plus a guidance director), reducing the number by one. Recommended 12-0-1 (Deschenes abstained).Drinkhall said that current state standards call for one counselor for every 300 students, and the current ratio at Kennett is one for 192 students. Paquette asked the Conway School Board to review the request for an additional seven teachers at the high school and consider not hiring them. Recommended 12-1 (Pat Libby against).School board member Pat Swett pointed out if all seven positions were reduced, one would be the health science technology program for the high school ($57,240). The program will specialize in the nursing, medical field, emergency medical technician training and will allow students to become certified nursing assistants. "Way back when we started the bond, the nursing program was in the budget from day one," Swett said. "You need to keep that in mind."Fellow school board member Randy Davison, a former member of the budget committee, thanked the budgeteers for their recommendations."We do want you to support our budget," he said. "I want you to know we're not going to rubber stamp anything."Jones said the committee would like to support the budget, but they also need "to be able to defend the choices" that are made.