The School Board will present a $18.9 million spending plan to the Town Council's Finance Committee when they meet in workshop session Monday, April 23. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall chamber.

The board, after nearly and hour and half of discussion, approved the proposed school budget at their meeting April 10.

The budget is $693,283 over this year's 2006-2007 school budget, an increase of 3.8 percent, and is $86,998 lower than the budget the superintendent submitted to the board last month. That budget, which proposed adding no new staff, posed in increase of 4.28 percent.

The board voted unanimously on the 3.8 percent increase, and directed the superintendent and District Leadership Team of school administrators to adjust the difference "in accordance with sound educational policies and practices with consideration of class size issues."

School Finance Committee member Kevin Sweeney initially proposed a 3.6 percent budget increase, $124,061 less than the superintendent's submitted budget. He offered suggestions for reductions and adjustments at the April 10 meeting, derived from information gathered at budget workshops held by the board in March.

School Board members Trish Brigham; and Rebecca Millett, who also chairs the board's finance committee, said their individual calculations for possible adjustments came closer to 3.8 percent increase.

"The bottom line is we want to do the best we can for our students, first and foremost," said Brigham. "Then I factor in those other things -- I don't think 3.8 percent is irresponsible given the needs of our students," she said.

Millett said she was concerned about coming down to the 3.6 percent increase, and both she and board member Karen Burke said they would support 3.8 percent.

In a telephone interview April 12, Superintendent Alan Hawkins said he and the District Leadership team had adjusted the original proposal, with major changes including savings of $73,400 by eliminating a second-grade teacher and through attrition; and, cutting $9,440 budget for extra police coverage at night games at the school. The board anticipated those fees could be covered by gate receipts at the new artificial turf field.

Other adjustments include moving $28,000 for a half-time kindergarten teacher to increase English Language Learner instruction to full time; moving $11,000 from staff-development funds to increase a 6/10th technology teacher at the High School to full time, adding technology integration duties with those funds; and, moving $7,000 designated for athletic equipment to a fund established for future replacement of the new artificial turf field located behind the High School.

Board to eye High School scheduling; class size and teacher load

In related budget matters, the School Board April 10 also directed Hawkins and the District Leadership Team to take a look at scheduling at the High School as it impacts class size, and to come back to the full board with a recommendation before September.

As the High School will experience declining enrollment over the next several years, the board is seeking to explore all scheduling options to best deliver classes and address those with smaller enrollments. Internet classes and cable-TV may be options for those classes, Hawkins said.

The board also directed the policy subcommittee to review the district's policy on class size and teacher loads with an eye to reducing those numbers in line with those outlined by the state in its Local Schools-Regional Support school consolidation initiative.

The district's class size policy currently recommends a maximum of 18 Kindergarten students; 20 first- and second-graders; and 22 in grades 3-12. "Cape Elizabeth doesn't meet that (state) goal," Hawkins said.

Class sizes mentioned in the state's recent school consolidation proposals ranged from 15-17 students per class. "We'd like to get a clearer picture of what that information from the Department of Education and the governor was talking about," Hawkins said. The committee's study may include a survey of what is "out there" for class sizes and teacher loads, he said.

The School Board has scheduled a special meeting for 10 a.m. today in the William H. Jordan Conference Room to begin formulating its budget presentation to the Town Council Finance Committee. The presentation will be at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, in the Town Hall chamber.

Budget review schedules and more information of the town's 2007-2008 municipal budget is available on our special budget section.