Town worried by SAD 31 spending School district faces major cuts in state subsidy, say Howland officials

HOWLAND – Town officials on Monday raised concerns about the SAD 31 school board spending its year-end balances before knowing the affects of future state subsidy cuts.

During the selectmen’s meeting Monday, officials expressed concern about the school board turning a part-time curriculum coordinator position to full-time after telling officials earlier there would be no new full-time positions.

Town Manager Glenna Armour said she earlier had been assured by school officials the position would be part-time. “We are not 30 days into the new budget and now that part-time curriculum coordinator has gone to full-time,” she said. She said board members had lost credibility with the public.

Armour said the school district will be hit with a $31,000 loss in state subsidy this year and could be “slammed” hard next year.

“Howland has reached the point of no return,” said Armour. “I don’t know what we are going to do if the mill rate continues to go up because we have to subsidize the schools. If you guys go on a spending spree like drunken sailors we are going to be in an awful boat next year.”

She asked whether district taxpayers would receive supplemental tax bills to make up for the pending subsidy cut. Selectman Richard Merrill said district taxpayers would “tar and feather” board members.

During an interview on Tuesday, SAD 31 Superintendent Keith Cook said the district will be financially okay this year and won’t be asking taxpayers for more money.

Several school board members, who attended the meeting, said there was no doubt the position was needed, but admitted the board should have waited for final year-end figures. Beth Turner, chairman of the board’s budget committee and Glen Brawn, JoAnn Rackley and Jana Pierce attended the selectmen’s meeting.

Members said the district wanted a full-time curriculum coordinator but could not come up with enough money in the new budget to fund it so they settled for a part-time position costing $30,000, which will be covered by grant money.

On July 17, the school board voted to hire a full-time curriculum coordinator after officials reported the year-end balances would be $482,000 or $107,000 more than anticipated. But the completed audit shows the year-end balance won’t be as large. The district’s balance is $433,000 or $58,000 more than anticipated.

Rackley, a Howland member, said she agreed the district needed the position, but said she voted against it because she was uncomfortable about funding the position without knowing whether the money would be available. The new position will cost about $60,000 including benefits.

Cook said the new position should have been added last year. He said there was tremendous work to be done and huge consequences if the district did not meet deadlines in state law.

He said the district must create a local assessment system by June 2004 to assess how it’s meeting the standards of the Learning Results.

Cook said the district must be using the new assessment system with the Class of 2007 to substantiate and validate that every graduating student has met the standards of the Learning Results. Students not meeting the standards won’t graduate, which could result in the district being sued for not meeting state law.