Hats off to SAD 32 School Superintendent Terry Despres and the Ashland School Committee for their brave mention of the unmentionable at their recent meeting on the wild and crazy idea of a possible shortening of the school year as a means of living with their 1995-96 budget.

There it was, on the front page of the Bangor Daily News’ May 16 edition.

What really tickled me was the scrambling for words by education specialist (whatever that means) Edwin N. Kastuck of the Department of Education’s Division of Instruction (what have they done for us lately?). Ed, for his part, huffed and puffed, as befits an education specialist, saying that Ashland’s naughty suggestion “wouldn’t be taken lightly.” What does that mean? I think it would be ill-advised to threaten the people. They don’t scare easily.

The BDN must not be too familiar with the Ashland crowd. These are serious people. They love their kids and are proud of their school. They’ve got a solid history of local support for their school and some decent kids come out of there.

What also interests me is that state lawmakers have diddled around for ages on school funding, causing all sorts of anxiety and grief for all the little, rural, low-tax-base towns. They have jacked up valuations, and are returning less tree growth tax monies to the forested north. Now, suddenly, a mouse roars, and education specialists start mumbling thinly veiled threats.

A couple of weeks ago, I, too, broached the subject of shortening the school year at a budget work session in my home district, SAD 25. I got some weird and nervous looks.

But what if all the little school administrative districts that are caught up in this whacky school funding situation were to seriously contemplate shortening the school year to offset losses? We certainly have the emergency conditions Kastuck alluded to in his somewhat feeble response.

Of course, bold and decisive leadership is required to confront the status quo, but Despres and company at least seem up to the task. They are going to look at the idea more closely at their next meeting.

When you consider how the smaller and mostly northern school districts have been squeezed on this funding issue, you can’t fault Ashland or any other district to at least look at shortening the school year. Depres is right. Nobody wants reductions in the work force or school programs in these little districts.

A logical idea would be to just shorten the school year a bit.

The alternative stinks. Who in his right mind would want an underfunded, watered-down, anemic and pathetic school operation that would drag on for 180 days with overcrowded classes and understaffed programs (if any survived the proposed cutbacks)?

Let’s have solid stuff for as long as we can make it run — even if it’s less than the 180 days now mandated by the state. We’d probably get more done if we knew we had less time, anyway.

What is needed here is community support, which I think will be forthcoming when parents realize their kids would be getting a lot less than the solid programs they have now.

We have some wonderful little schools in northern Maine. I think I speak for at least some of the people when I say that our young people are a decent lot. We need to hold their confidence in us by continuing to offer them strong academic challenge and opportunities for participating in all the other character-building programs of music, athletics, drama, student government, etc., that we do now.

Shorten the school year? Why not? Thomas F. Sheehan is a high school teacher from Mount Chase.