Proposed school budget tops $30 million

With sending towns, net impact for Conway taxpayers is only a 1 percent increase

The Conway School District will bring forward its first $30 million budget with its proposal for the 2007-08 school year. Excluding an estimated 17 warrant articles, including contract negotiations, the budget is up just over 7 percent, but the good news, thanks to an increase in revenue from sending towns, is Conway taxpayers will only see a net increase of about 1.1 percent.The increased revenue from surrounding towns is due to a tuition contract which now relies on equalized valuation. Sending towns had been billed on an average daily membership formula for maintenance/operations, but with the passage of a $44 million bond three years ago, the new formula of two-thirds average daily membership along with one-third equalized property valuation kicks in for the 2007-08 school year. The new high school in Redstone is slated to open next fall.Following a lengthy meeting Tuesday night, attended by only one citizen, the school board voted 5-2 to bring a $31,435,762 budget forward to the municipal budget committee. The budget committee will begin its review process next month. Pat Swett and Randy Davison voted against supporting the budget. "I can't approve a budget knowing we haven't approved any warrant articles or don't have a final figure on it," Swett said. "... I'm not going to approve something without a bottom line."Swett's decision prompted fellow board member Mike DiGregorio to wonder if the board should wait."I want it to be unanimous," he said. "I think this year we need it to be unanimous. We're opening up a new school and we want to show our support, that we stand behind it."Davison, who originally voted to bring the budget forward, reconsidered his vote."I have some real concerns with this, too," he said. "... I'm not going to support the budget due to the fact I think I gave some good rationale where cuts could be made. I don't think I would be doing justice to the people I sit here and represent if I supported this."Davison would like to see additional reductions in the middle school, primarily trimming the number of education teams from four to three. Team teaching is a method of coordinated classroom teaching involving a team of teachers working together with a single group of students.In a follow-up interview Wednesday, DiGregorio said he was disappointed not to have unanimous support for the budget."I'm very disappointed with the vote last night," he said. "We spent a lot of time trying to bring a budget in with minimal impact to the taxpayers. ... I can agree with Patty to a certain extent, but unfortunately we needed to vote last night. We really do know what the (warrant) articles will be. Perhaps when Patty gets the whole picture she'll reconsider her vote."... I know what Randy's position is but the cost savings and impact to the students have not been clearly identified," DiGregorio continued. "We could save a maximum of $168,000 by eliminating four teaching positions to as little as $70,000 because we'd need to retain a world Language and Reading teacher. We just don't know what the impact would be. I said it (Tuesday) night, the school board clearly needed to spend more time looking at classroom reductions earlier this year. I'm not willing to make a change in the middle of the budget season when the middle school is doing a very good job educating our kids. ... Randy doesn't have a bottom line savings or impact to the program. I'm not willing to change the program until someone tells me the total impact."Deb Deschenes felt the actual school budget was complete and could be voted on and the warrant articles would be voted on separately by the board."We can choose or not support the warrant articles at a later time," she said.Fellow board member Lisa Eastwood supported the budget. "I feel we've been diligent with the budget," she said. "I'm comfortable moving forward. It might not be unanimous, but so be it."Last year's adopted budget, excluding grants and special articles was $28,034.003. The proposed 2007-08 budget is $31,435,762. The proposed high school budget is up 14.98 percent from $6,914,234 for 2006-07 to $7,949,822 for 2007-08.The proposed middle school budget is up 12.12 percent from $3,795,569 for 2006-07 to $4,255,434 for 2007-08.The proposed career technical center budget is up 12.08 percent from $820,214 for 2006-07 to $919,332 for 2007-08.The proposed Pine Tree Elementary School budget is up 6.86 percent from $2,090,079 for 2006-07 to $2,233,361 for 2007-08.The proposed John Fuller School budget is up 3.77 percent from $2,196,876 for 2006-07 to $2,279,617 for 2007-08.The proposed Conway Elementary School budget is up 2.91 percent from $2,109,500 for 2006-07 to $2,170,868 for 2007-08.Elementary districtwide (which is 99 percent Special Education) is down 24.05 percent from $1,538,550 in to 2006-07 to the proposed 2007-08 figure of $1,168,559. Excluding bond issues, the districtwide-items budget is down 6.09 percent from $3,845,616 in 2006-07 to a proposed $3,611,457 for 2007-08.Chairman George Fredette is pleased with the budget."I'm happy, but obviously a little anxious. I realize it's a tough thing for people to see the first time. ... If we adopt this budget we can really do some good things for education in the valley."Resident Ellen MacDonald was concerned that there be adequate funds for the principals to operate their schools. During public comments, she asked the administrators if they were comfortable with the proposed budgets. "I'm not in favor of cutting any programs," she said. "... Is Jack (Loynd, principal at the high school) going to be able to live with the budget moving into a new building?""As it currently stands, I'm comfortable," he responded.MacDonald was concerned about the board's recommendation to eliminate a second-grade teaching position at Pine Tree and one in the fourth grade at Conway Elementary due to low student enrollment. She said 200 house lots are planned over the next year in Center Conway."As a parent of a child in high school, one in the middle school and one in elementary school," MacDonald said, "we owe it to the children in town to provide more than an adequate education. If the enrollment is down this board needs to ask why. Word is out there that we are not an educationally friendly community. ... I don't think this is the year or the time to be cutting programs.""I spent just about my whole day (Tuesday) on the telephone," Deschenes said. "Just about every 10 minutes I got a call about the Pine Tree situation."The school board is recommending cutting one second-grade teacher because it looks like there will be 10 students in one second-grade class and 11 in the other.Principal Laura Jawitz explained that next year's second graders are "a challenging class" and if the staff were to be reduced an aide would be needed to assist the teacher. She also offered an option of combining second and third graders to maintain all of the teachers."I can't honestly say to the taxpayer I've done my job when I allow 10- and 11-student classrooms," Fredette said.Davison felt it was important to point out that Pine Tree's budget is up more than Conway Elementary's and John Fuller's because it's that school's turn to receive $60,000 in the rotating elementary school maintenance budget.Davison asked his colleagues to consider reducing the middle school from four to three teams. With just under 300 students currently in grades seven and eight, he felt it warranted a close look."$14,000 per pupil in the middle school, I can't really justify that," he said.Fellow board member Sheryl Kovalik pointed out that, minus a planned 21 percent increase in health insurance, additional building costs due to the renovation of the high school building and special education increases, principal Kevin Richard actually had a budget below last year based "on things within his control."She also suggested setting a target figure for possible team reductions."We need to understand where the enrollment needs to be if we need to change the team structure," she said. "Where does the line get drawn, is it 275 students?""Unless the board puts forward, 'this needs to happen,' it never will," Davison said. "The middle school is $1,500 per pupil above the state average. The space is not there to facilitate more staff."This led to a discussion on class size at the high school.Senior Ned Goodwin, the student representative to the school board, spoke about the importance of having manageable classrooms for both students and teachers."Twenty-five students in a college honors prep class can be very challenging," he said.The school board would like to see no more than 25 students in classes within the district."It led to significant changes at the high school when I was asked to build a program based budget," Loynd said. "... I certainly believe students get a better education in classes of 25 or less. I believe there should be a level playing field between (all schools in the district). The high school has operated at a disadvantage partly because of the facility. I never asked for more teachers because I didn't have the room."Loynd is seeking two additional English teachers, two more math teachers, another world language teacher, a third physical education teacher, a dance and theater teacher, and five more custodians for the new school in Redstone.Conway Elementary Principal Brian Hastings agreed 25 or fewer students is a good number for staff to handle. "Most teachers could handle 30-35 kids but the board needs to make a decision how effective do you want your teachers to be with those students?""We look at our elementary schools and we make cuts because of the numbers, yet we look at the middle school numbers and choose not to make a cut," Deschenes said, "I don't get it."Richard said he has kept his budget on a tight string, all the while "trying not to impact the classrooms.""My team leaders teach all day long," he said. "I could give them time off and that would increase the class sizes (and the need for additional staff)."The next step in the budget process is a monthlong review by the municipal budget committee, which will receive an overview from Superintendent Carl Nelson on Jan. 3. The deliberative portion of school meeting will be in March followed by actual voting in April.Education editor Lloyd Jones can be contacted at lloyd@conwaydailysun.com.