Dedham eyes SAD 63 pact for superintendent services

HOLDEN – It wasn’t an agenda item, but Monday’s SAD 63 board meeting began with Dedham school leaders proposing the possibility of receiving services from the larger, neighboring school district.

A majority of the rest of the meeting was spent discussing concerns about Gov. John Baldacci’s new statewide education plan – the Local Schools, Regional Support Initiative.

Richard Norton, Dedham superintendent and principal, and two school board members were at the SAD 63 meeting to ask if the school district was interested in providing superintendent, transportation and special education services and, if so, at what cost.

Norton, who works part-time as superintendent, said he is retiring at the end of the school year and added that due to uncertainties with the governor’s proposed education plan, the school board has decided to look for alternatives to hiring a replacement.

“We’re not sure it’s wise to hire a superintendent at this point,” he said. “What we’re doing is shopping around a little bit. We’re trying to see if it’s feasible to contract for superintendent services.”

In addition to SAD 63, Brewer also has been contacted.

“We’re looking for a one-year contract to see how it goes and what the Legislature does,” Norton said.

The SAD 63 board decided its finance committee should review the proposal and make a recommendation, which should occur within the next couple of weeks.

The governor’s proposal would consolidate all of the state’s school systems into 26 administrative units in an attempt to save money and reduce property taxes.

“It’s a really scary proposal,” Chairwoman Pat Sirois said. “It’s way too much, too soon.”

The governor’s proposal calls for reducing the number of school administrative districts from 152 to 26, eliminating local school boards and creating 26 weighted regional school boards with five to 15 members.

The plan also would terminate all contracts with school superintendents in the fall of 2007, is expected to eliminate 600 teaching positions and would mandate a principal in every school and a 17-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio in all middle and high schools.

“This is momentous,” Superintendent Louise Regan said, adding that time is a crucial factor of the initiative.

“This is going to be a done deal, if the governor gets his way, by July 30 of this year,” she stressed.

Regan suggested that everyone in the state educate themselves about all five of the education proposals being considered by the Legislature, including the one the governor is proposing.

The initiative, announced during Baldacci’s second inaugural address earlier this month, is part of his $6.4 billion biennial budget for 2007-09, which means the education component is tied to passage of the budget.

“The thing that concerns me the most is that he’s appended this to the budget,” Sirois said.

And by making it a part of the budget, the Appropriations Committee will review and work on the bill instead of the Legislature’s Education Committee, she added.

To ensure that small school systems like SAD 63 are heard, Sirois suggested the board remain positive and work with state leaders to come up with the best possible solution.

“We have to be proactive and active” she said, adding later that the board should “come up with suggestions and funnel them to our Legislatures.”