By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HODGDON — Last month, the SAD 70 board approved a 2013-14 school budget in the amount of $6,381,989. And while that budget featured several cuts, declining state subsidies resulted in an increase of about $100,000 over last year’s budget.
Monday evening, the board was faced with the difficult task of officially terminating the positions and contracts of those individuals affected by last month’s budget adoption. The moves, however, did not come without considerable discussion.
Positions eliminated for next year include the half-time Spanish teacher and full-time math interventionist. Also, the full-time industrial arts program was reduced to part-time. Those cuts helped reduce the overall budget by about $100,000.
The elimination of the math interventionist position drew considerable discussion by board members.
“I just hate the thought of taking out the math interventionist,” said board member Heather McGuire.
“All during the budget process, I had trouble getting rid of a teacher and replacing them with an Ed Tech,” said board Joel Oliver, who also sits on the finance committee. “Once you lose these positions, you never get them back.”
Board vice chairman Tracy Rockwell said the decision to eliminate those position was not one any of the finance committee wanted to make, but cuts needed to be made somewhere. Originally, the math interventionist position was funded through grant money, but once those funds dried up, the district took on the position as part of its regular budget.
In an effort to compensate for the loss of the position, the district will be sharing the services of the high school math specialist on a limited basis for seventh- and eighth-graders and will also have one of the current Mill Pond School staff members assist in this capacity as much as possible.
“We’re going to do the best we can,” said Mill Pond School Principal Loreen Wiley.
The vote to eliminate the math interventionist passed 8-3 with board members Oliver, Gordon Ledger and McGuire opposed.
By eliminating the part-time Spanish position, foreign language will no longer be taught at the elementary level.
Board member Maureen Friel suggested the district look at creative ways to try to keep some of the cuts in the curriculum in some form.
“We have to start thinking outside the box,” she said. “With all this new technology, would there be a way for us to connect and partner with another high school to offer these services? There must be a way we can do that.”
In other agenda items, the board approved increasing hot lunch prices for next year by 25 cents. The full price for hot lunch will rise to $2.25 starting in the fall at both schools.
A special board meeting will be held Monday, June 10, at 7 p.m. At that meeting, the board will finalize the district’s plan for replacing school laptops with either new Macbooks or iPads. The board may also announce a new superintendent at that meeting. The district conducted interviews Tuesday for candidates to replace Superintendent Bob McDaniel, who has been with the district for the past eight years.
Residents will have an opportunity to provide input on the spending plan during a public hearing Tuesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. at Houlton High School.
