SAD 34 school buildings now in `very bad repair’> Preliminary school budget introduced at Belfast

BELFAST — Following up on her pledge to keep city officials informed of school business, SAD 34 Superintendent Fran Wills introduced her proposed $10.3 million budget to the City Council Tuesday night.

When appointed last spring, Wills assured local leaders that her administration would be more than willing to open its books to the taxpayers. With school and local budgets on the increase, Wills said she was determined to maintain that policy of openness.

While acknowledging that her budget proposal was a preliminary one, Wills told councilors “I thought it would be a good idea” to inform them of the district’s needs.

Wills said that although she was trying very hard to reach out to the district’s member communities, she admitted that “not all the towns want to have the superintendent of schools at their meeting.”

Based on the council’s previous dealings with the school district, Wills’ effort to promote harmony between the district and the city was understandable.

Belfast contributes more than 50 percent of the district’s budget and two years ago, when SAD 34 wanted to hold a special election on the question of replacing Crosby Jr. High with a new middle school, the same council refused to sign the election warrant.

At least one councilor appeared to be much more receptive to Wills’ entreaties this time around than he was when the middle school concept was rejected.

Ward 5 councilor James Roberts, opposed by write-in candidate Arlo Redman III, told Wills he supported a policy of open communication with the district and vowed to “open up local government” to the students. He suggested instituting a leadership exchange program to make students aware of the day to day operation of government. “They are our future leaders,” said Roberts.

When Roberts suggested that the reason the middle school was defeated was that the district failed to inform the community of its plans for Crosby Jr. High, Wills said she favored the continued use of Crosby. Although adamant that Crosby was unsuitable for today’s education, Wills said the district should consider using the upper floors for administrative offices and the ground floors for pre-school programs.

Wills also told the council that the district’s 11 school buildings were in dire need of maintenance. The solution the school board settled on, Wills said, was to ask the voters to approve a $2 million bond issue to bring the schools into compliance with basic life-safety standards.

“We’re talking roofs, doors and windows,” said Wills. “Our 11 buildings average 41 years old. We’re dealing with a national problem. We have in our nation today a crumbling infrastructure. We’re not alone in this.”

Wills told the council that walls in the Belfast Area High School were spreading apart and that the problem with the high school locker room was “more than just cleanliness at this point. I must tell you that our high school has some serious, serious problems.”

Councilor Diane Drinkwater, who served on the district’s facilities committee, told the council that time almost but run out for maintaining the buildings.

“It’s very, very urgent that this be done,” said Drinkwater. “The buildings are in very bad repair. We owe it to our children.”

Wills observed that although it would be “very difficult to address (the maintenance problems) in a district that has 10 buildings,” she urged the council to support the proposal.

Councilor Patricia Lord, who said she inspected the neighboring schools, observed that “ours are disgraceful in comparison to buildings in other districts.”

“We have not re-invested in our physical plant in a timely manner,” said Wills. She pledged that although upgrading the schools would take time, “we’re committed to it.”