Looking for areas to trim, the finance committee of Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12 (SVRSU 12) juggled figures that could knock close to $400,000 from the total local contribution of the previous budget.
Last Thursday morning at Whitefield School, the group reviewed the 2009-10 budget rejected at the last referendum vote, July 28. A majority of voters in the eight-town unit turned down a second proposed spending plan of $26.6 million that included a $14.7 million total local contribution.
The plan had won support at the mid-July open town meeting style district meeting, attended by RSU residents of Wiscasset, Westport Island, Alna, Whitefield, Somerville, Windsor, Chelsea and Palermo.
F. Gerard Nault, Richard DeVries, Chris Johnson and Hilary Holm were among RSU members last week targeting a possible $225,000 in Medicaid reimbursement money, $150,000 in salary savings, and $6000 budgeted by Palermo for the 8th grade class trip.
Except for possible salary savings, the suggested reductions came from shifting revenue around.
Chairman Nault said some $385,000 in Medicaid funds for costs associated with special education students is available. There was agreement that it would be safe to anticipate and count on a little less than 60 percent of those funds.
The panel also weighed paring a 3 percent increase budgeted for staff salaries to 2 percent, a reduction that would be applied to one-year employment arrangements as well. “It’s fair,” said Nault, “that ‘at will’ and union employees would be treated equally.”
Superintendent Greg Potter said besides the Palermo class trip and $1000-$2000 budgeted for a Wiscasset High School class trip, he wasn’t aware of others. Eliminating the Palermo trip reduces the field trip budget line from $24,000 to $18,000.
Somerville’s Chris Johnson said he favored encouraging 8th grade classes to fund-raise for trips. “I don’t want this cut to be seen as our not supporting this trip,” he said.
Steven Mehrl, of Wiscasset, responded, “There are grants all over the place.” He added the Wiscasset school system formerly had a staffer “who found all kinds.”
Supplies, books and equipment also received close scrutiny. Potter said RSU 12 schools “actually aren’t spending what the state EPS (Essential Programs and Services) formula recommends. We’re quite efficient already.” For that reason Holm suggested no cuts in that line.
For the Everyday Math program, there is $35,000 in the budget for teacher supplies, student workbooks, and such materials, which Potter characterized as “probably a one-time expense.”
Potter also pointed out the RSU board has planned for $1.2 million in federal money, which includes stimulus funds, as well as Title I and Title II money. In fact, Potter said, $1.4 million is available. “But should there be a state curtailment (of general purpose aid for education), you should be cautious,” he said, looking ahead to 2010-11.
There was considerable discussion of a program that will be required next year called Response to Intervention (RTI).
Potter said each school would need student intervention teams, involving stipended teachers, to “diagnose” and work with students needing improvement in learning skills.
Some schools already employ “differentiated instruction,” he said, naming Palermo.
The RTI movement is “sweeping the nation,” Potter said, and the process drives special education rates down. “A student will have to be determined to have failed the RTI approach before being referred to special ed.,” he added. Over time, special education costs are reduced as students are shifted over to regular education.
Nault clarified that school units wouldn’t necessarily see a cost reduction but a “cost avoidance.” He said, “If we could latch onto ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) money to roll out this program (by January 2010), we could see the impact a few years later.”
There was both agreement and frustration about the high cost of health insurance. Nault said, “It needs to be addressed but we can’t do it here.”
Potter commented, “It’s hard to get insurance companies to offer policies that benefit the public school system.”
RSU 12 board of directors will meet Thurs., Aug. 20 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Whitefield School.
