SAD 29 begins budget talks

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The long, arduous budget process is finally starting to take shape for SAD 29 as school board members began financial talks during a lengthy Monday evening meeting.
    Ray Freve, interim superintendent for SAD 29, presented a “status quo” budget to the board at Monday night’s meeting which featured a $145,168 increase from the current school budget.
    “The best way to put it is, I presented a budget that carries forward everything we have this year, with a few increases in salaries and a few reductions as expenses warranted,” Freve said.
    During the course of Monday’s meeting, board member Fred Grant suggested that Freve compile a budget that features a “Cadillac” version, featuring all of the programs and expenses that the district could add next year. Grant said the board could then work its way backwards, cutting what needed to be cut, during its budget committee deliberations.
    Those deliberations start Monday and Tuesday, May 9-10 at 6 p.m. at the superintendent’s conference room. The meetings are open to the public.
    For the past few months, the school board has been given presentations on a number of different programs that the district funds, either with local, state or federal dollars, grant money or some combination. On Monday, the board heard presentations on its Adult Education, Health Committee and Junior High Alternative Education programs.
    Reading First, the highly-successful program at Houlton Elementary School that was recently lauded by Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen, was another program that the district is considering funding. State money for reading program runs out at the end of the current school year.
    The board also discussed staffing changes at Wellington Elementary School. Since the school is losing its fourth grade teacher (Lisa Ponder) and principal/first-grade teacher (Nancy Wright) at the end of the year to retirement, the district hopes to find a teaching principal to replace Wright.
    Due to projected enrollment figures, the board is also considering a multi-age classroom for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten next year. For 2011-12, the district is projecting 12 pre-K students and six kindergartners, which would be combined into one class.
    In other business items, the board:
    • Re-elected Liz Anderson and Sandra Wilkins as chairman and vice chairman respectively.
    • Appointed the following coaches for the fall sports season: Mike Carlos, varsity boys soccer; Tim Tweedie, varsity girls soccer; Matthew Swallow, junior varsity boys soccer; Katie Wright, junior varsity girls soccer; Misty Porter and Amber Wire, junior high girls soccer co-coaches; and Marty Gervais, varsity golf.