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BY MATTHEW STONE
Staff Writer 05/10/2008

Staff Writer

Three of the four Maranacook elementary schools will see their budgets shrink in the coming school year, school committee members decided in votes this week.

Increased property values, declining student enrollment and a $34 million cut in state aid to local schools have contributed to smaller budgets for Manchester, Mount Vernon and Wayne elementary schools.

In Readfield, the only one of the four towns to see its state subsidy and budget grow, the elementary school has cut two teaching positions and added a different one.

The school district and teachers' union are working out the terms of shrinking the school's staff, Finance Manager Brigette Williams said.

Residents in the four towns will have their chance to accept or reject the committee-approved budgets in district budget meetings and referendum votes in the coming weeks.

Residents also have the opportunity to vote on the budget for the district's middle and high schools. That budget was approved May 1.

The two-part, budget-approval process for residents allows voters to weigh in on their local school budget at a meeting and later cast a vote in a referendum. The process is new this year, a product of Maine's school-district consolidation law.

Readfield

Readfield School Committee members Wednesday night signed off on a $2.1 million budget for the 2008-09 school year. The budget will grow by almost $75,000, or 3.7 percent, in tandem with Readfield's increased state subsidy.

The state's share of expenses will grow to $1.06 million in the fall, up 6.1 percent from the current year's $996,000 subsidy. Readfield's is one of a handful of schools in Maine to have their state subsidy increase this year.

Readfield's budget eliminates two teachers' positions -- a combined first-and-second grade teacher and a special education instructor -- while adding a teaching position for at-risk students.

Superintendent Rich Abramson said the position cuts reflect shrinking student populations.

"Those were the mitigating circumstances," he said.

Administrators and committee members decided to add the teacher for at-risk students "just to do a better job taking care of the ones we have," Abramson said. "This was a staff-developed proposal that had school board support."

The budget also expands the kindergarten program to five weekdays and slightly increases the school's guidance and vocal music programs.

Readfield residents will take up the elementary school budget in a district budget meeting on May 15 and take a referendum vote on it May 20.

In addition, voters in all four towns will meet at the Maranacook Community High School gym at 7 p.m. Monday to accept or reject the middle and high school budget.

That budget will also be the subject of a referendum vote on May 20.

Wayne

Wayne School Committee members on Monday unanimously approved a $733,000 budget for the 2008-09 school year, committee member Dennis Dalheim said.

The budget represents almost a $19,000 cut -- 2.5 percent -- from the elementary school's current budget.

The elementary school will receive approximately $72,000 in state aid next school year, a drop from its current $118,000 subsidy.

School Committee members likely will consider ways to address a declining school enrollment before the 2009-10 school year, Dalheim said.

"That's when the big decline in enrollment is going to hit," Dalheim said.

At the end of the 2008-09 year, a large class will enter the middle school and a smaller kindergarten class will replace the departing students, Dalheim said.

Wayne residents will take up the elementary school budget in a meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Ladd Recreation Center and take a referendum vote the following Tuesday, May 20.

Manchester

Manchester's $1.8 million elementary school budget received unanimous School Committee approval on Tuesday.

The 2008-09 budget cuts $71,000 -- 3.8 percent -- from the current year's plan.

Manchester also faced a smaller state subsidy this year. The state put up $680,000 toward the elementary school's budget, an $89,000 drop from a year ago.

Committee members, administrators and parents will also consider in the coming weeks combining next school year's first- and second-grade classes due to smaller class sizes.

Manchester residents will vote on their elementary school budget at a district budget meeting on Wednesday and take a referendum vote on the elementary school budget May 20.

Mount Vernon

The Mount Vernon School Committee on Thursday endorsed a $1.1 million budget for the town's elementary school.

The budget is nearly $43,000 -- 3.8 percent -- smaller than the current year's budget for the elementary school.

The town saw its state subsidy drop to $297,000 this budget season, down $58,000 from the current year's subsidy of $355,000.

Mount Vernon voters will meet in a district budget meeting on June 7 and vote in a June 10 referendum.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com

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