SALEM -— Members of the MSAD #58 school board met last Thursday to continue their budget discussions. This year, the board is faced with $460,000 less in state subsidy and has to roll up its collective sleeves to find significant savings.

When the meeting opened, Chairman Mike Pond asked to immediately go into executive session regarding three issues. One was negotiations with the Mt. Abram Teachers Association, another had to do with a personnel matter and the third was a student issue.

Under communications, a letter of concern regarding one cut was received from Jacob Howard, a 2006 Mt. Abram graduate. Howard explained that he received lifelong experiences under the guidance of former retired district employee Gary Perlson.

Perlson was replaced with a half-time position currently held by Steve Mitman. It is proposed to cut the half-time position with Mitman becoming a full-time elementary art teacher.

“I understand that you feel the need to cut this same position from the district,” Howard wrote. “I would like to assure you that one person may be directing a group of people to pursue dreams that they didn’t even know they have yet… Please think twice about cutting this position, there are a lot of past students that have benefited from Foster Tech and the College Tours!”

The executive session revealed that the union is negotiating for a three percent raise for teachers next year and two-and-ahalf percent raise for the following two years.

It will cost us about $100,000 this year and $100,000 over the next two years, Superintendent Quenten Clark said. This raise is above the current cuts and budget reductions, and challenges the board to find another $80,000 in savings.

The personnel matter had to do with a request for a reduction in hours to a half-time position.

Superintendent Quenten Clark informed the board that he did receive a letter from MSAD #74 in response to ongoing written dialog requesting a meeting. Clark briefed the board on the potential savings both districts could realize with some form of partnership or even simply sharing services.

Under the principles of the Reorganization Law, a full consolidation is no longer required to avoid state penalties. An Alternative Organizational System could be formed that shares central administrative services such as a superintendent, business manager and special education director and even some administrative staff. This, Clark said, could save $.25 million between both districts. An AOS would also eliminate the penalty for the two districts. Currently MSAD #58 is looking at a $140,000 hit for not consolidating, and MSAD $74 is looking at more.

There also might be additional substantial savings in forming an AOS because MSAD #58 might join the Somerset Labor Market which could yield another $250,000 in state subsidy.

“I think the AOS model does not cost that much (in terms of risk). It may be a way to avoid cuts in teachers, sports programs,” Clark said. It’s not like we have to lose control of our schools, our school boards, lose something like half of our high school principal, Clark said.

Pond said he liked the idea of finding savings in both districts. “I’ve never seen a better time for this,” Pond said.

Clark said the two districts could find almost immediate savings by sharing services like the superintendents and special education directors’ position. Pond told the crowd that there are MSAD #74 vacancies in both these positions now and in the future.

Items cut today could be restored and once the full AOL is established, nearly $600,000 to $.75 million could be realized by both districts, Clark explained.

Clark ran through the regular instruction budget which involved some staff transfers and cuts. None of this stuff is good. It’s a sad year for education across the entire state, Clark said.

“Overall we’re not in good shape, the state is not in good shape and that’s why we’re here,” said Pond.

Clark said they’re proposing to combine some classes in the Stratton school. Under this proposal, grades one and two, three and four and five and six will be combined classes. Multi-grade teacher Heidi Bullen would move to the Strong school.

Other changes, for examples, might involve Mel Gulusha returning as a second grade teacher in Phillips. Or, Darcy Pray might be moving from a technology systems integrator to a fifth to eighth grade ELA teacher in Kingfield and Paula Coburn moving from special education administrative position to replace long-term retiring Kingfield school secretary Georgie Woodford.

“We have proposed eliminating one position at the high school; that is one classroom teacher dependent upon the enrollments of sign-ups. We have also proposed eliminating one elementary art teacher and moved some people around to different sorts of places in the budget.”

Clark also said they were trying to keep some of their people working versus someone who was contracted out. “Obviously, one of the goals is to save money, the other goal is to save staff, so we shuffled people around and tried to avoid hiring new people whenever possible to keep people we already have employed.”

Some cuts drew opposition from the floor. Elementary art teacher Adam Masterman called the art teacher elimination a “high impact cut.” According to a handout it impacts every elementary school kid in the district and potentially at Mt. Abram High School. “Half of elementary art instruction eliminated,” allows only 30 minutes per week of art instruction. Programs such as a gifted and talented program with 40 students will be lost, he wrote.

These programs target nontraditional learners and alternate programs help reduce dropout rates, and meet the needs of diverse student body, he said.

Masterman said it’s important to kids’ lives and it creates visual literacy, problem solving, and talents and aptitudes in art create careers and life options. Masterman also spoke of the difficulties there are in reestablishing a lost program.

Pond wanted to schedule one more meeting before school board members started voting on the budget. These meetings would not be open for public comment. Reductions in nursing, creating unisex elementary sports teams, eliminating junior varsity sports and the high school athletic trainers position, a reduction in school supplies, half-time elementary principals and other important issues will come before the board after the vacation week.