SAD 63 PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED 2010-2011 SCHOOL BUDGET

Wednesday night (May 12) at 5:30pm there will be a Budget and Finance Committee meeting at the HOLBROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL. The meeting will be held in the room off the library on the second floor. It will be interesting to see how many people show up and how much detail is provided (and discussed) in the monthly Financial Statement provided by the district's Business Manager and the three-person BFC. Details are not the strong points of these meetings.

AT 7PM, IN THE GYMNASIUM, THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE CONDUCTED at which the proposed 2010-2011 budget will be reviewed. We can expect to hear that:

1. Teachers have agreed to at least a one-year contract with no increases in salaries or wages,

2. Dave Anderson, Principal at Holden Elementary School, will be the Interim Superintendent effective July 1, at an annual compensation of $15,000 plus probable expenses.

3. Two elementary teacher positions will be eliminated.

4. Three Special Education tech positions will be eliminated.

5. One-hour of maintenance/custodial services will be eliminated from Central Services.

6. Fourth-graders from Eddington Elementary School and Holden Elementary School will be combined into one class at Holbrook Middle School.

7. Prior to leaving her position as State Commissioner of Education, Susan Gendron approved the application from Orrington and Dedham to form their own RSU, leaving SAD 63 without any consolidation options and a tax penalty bill of $180,000.

8. The Business Manager's current contract that expires June 30, 2010 (at an annual cost of $75,000 plus full medical benefits) will be extended without any reduction in costs.

9. No cuts or reductions will take place in the part-time bookkeeper position in Central Services.

10. With the exception of the Business Manager and Bookkeeper, any contracts that were up for renewal effective July 1, 2010 have been negotiated at no increase in salaries or wages or benefits.

11. The property owners living in the towns of Eddington and Clifton and Holden can expect tax rates to increase between 1 and 4 mills.

And this is just the beginning, according to State Senator Richard Rosen and outgoing Interim Superintendent Ray Hart... Maybe it would be a good idea if the voters of this school district attend Wednesday night's meeting to get an idea of what next year will be like. Just remember, this is for fewer than 1,000 students and the budget has already gone up over $800,000. in the last two years.