A group of parents and the principal of Dresden Elementary School are baking fresh bread and selling it to raise money to keep school staff.
The Dresden Elementary School Position Budget Support Group had their third meeting Thursday night in the school’s gymnasium to discuss running a petition and finding more venues to sell the large loaves of French bread, which have so far been a hot item at local events.
The KIDS Regional School Unit 2 Board of Directors, of which Dresden Elementary is a member, has had to cut positions and reduce work hours throughout the district in response to state funding reductions. Board members reduced the hours of the school custodian from eight hours per day to five. Since early this year, the board has discussed cutting kitchen staff, the school nurse position and the library ed tech position.
Support group members are circulating a petition to see about putting a question on the town warrant asking for the town to fund the part-time school nurse position ($12,700) and a library ed tech position ($3975). Any money they raise with their bread sales will mean less money asked of the town. They need 70 signatures in order to put the question on the town warrant and group members are confident they will gain support from residents.
According to Dresden Elementary School Principal Martha Witham, board members agreed to allow the town to raise funds for the part-time positions, but not for the school kitchen. Witham told the support group, whose members are all concerned parents, she did her best to try and convince the school board to keep the elementary school kitchen and keep the school lunch program intact.
Since the board had previously anticipated they would save about $18,000 for the kitchen, Witham said she had expected they would be able to keep it running. At their last meeting, however, the board calculated the elementary school kitchen’s cost to be roughly $45,000. That’s $25,500 in labor costs for the cook position, $5663 for a point of service attendant and $15,211 in an estimated deficit, which is the cost of making the food versus what the school gets in return.
In place of the school kitchen and traditional lunch program, the RSU 2 district will ship food to the school from Richmond, Witham said. Wrapped up and packed in a temperature-controlled unit, lunches will be shipped to the school each day.
“I just hope that bridge is never up,” Witham said, referring to the bridge that spans the Kennebec River from Richmond.
The parents at the meeting said their children enjoy the school lunches and wished it would not change. Their conversation indicated breakfast will not be part of the RSU meal package and lunches would be combined. According to one parent, 45 percent of the school’s students qualify for the free and reduced meal program. Food brings people together and parents said the meals are especially important for students who miss out when not in school. They are hopeful the school would still be able to host harvest suppers and other events in which food is offered.
“In the overall picture, we didn’t do too badly,” Witham said, adding the school did not lose any teaching positions. In fact, she said the school would be getting a teacher from Richmond to fill in a position.
Concerned parent Joan Drappeau has been baking the French bread loaves, which group members say are quite large. She said the “Schoolhouse Bread” group has raised about $800 so far and 100 percent of what they raise goes to fund the school positions.
Those who want to help them raise the dough can buy a loaf for just $5 by calling Joan Drappeau at 737-2609 or 837-8465. People can also pick up a loaf at the school and at the Merry Meeting House in Dresden on Friday mornings. Drappeau said they are seeking other venues to sell the bread and raise more dough for education.
