Staff Writer 

 Inspired by the dismal state of the national and local economies, business owners in Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth have been bridging the gap between private enterprise and municipal government in 2009. 

Last month, Glazey Days art studio owner and Scarborough resident Shannon Hay invited the entire Scarborough school system into her business, an idea she said was sparked by her daughter. 

“We opened up in September and she is so excited about it she wants to tell everyone,” Hay said of her daughter. “She asked if her class could come.”

Hay said she was “absolutely floored” when she learned that superintendent David Doyle had frozen the school’s entire budget and had eliminated funding for field trips, including costs associated with busing students to her studio. 

“Living here, being a Scarborough resident, I thought ‘How could a school system in a town with such a high tax bracket not afford field trips?’” Hay said. “Then I learned that the towns with higher tax brackets were the ones most affected by [a General Purpose Aid funding curtailment by the state].”

Hay coordinated a “free” field trip for 96 Eight Corners School students, who walked the short distance to the studio and spent the day creating artistic tiles they could bring home, an activity Hay said most likely cost her “a couple hundred dollars.”

“It was a great way for me to give back,” she said. “The more you support the community the more they will support you. You can’t put a price tag on that.”

In Cape Elizabeth, Superintendent Alan Hawkins said it is becoming increasingly common for local businesses to help supplement his school budget by either donating funds or services. 

“It does go on on a pretty regular basis,” he said. “People in Cape Elizabeth are truly interested in getting the best education for their kids, and we’re thankful for that.”

Last month, Ethos Marketing Design and several anonymous donors provided the school with enough funding – nearly $10,000 – to allow the entire sixth grade to attend the Chewonki Outdoor Classroom program in April, an activity Hawkins said was not included in this year’s school budget. Outdoor Classroom Program Director Katie Tremblay said school systems in several other towns had also “rallied” to ensure their students could attend the program.

“We’ve been around so long that some of these sixth grader’s parents have been through it and now they want their kids to go too, which is really great,” Tremblay said. “The fear is that it may not continue next year.”

Some businesses are coping with the economic recession in different ways; David Savidge, owner of Mac’s Deli in Scarborough, said his business had received a “very good response” from patrons after he decided to absorb the 7 percent food sales tax on every sale. 

“Whether it’s going to be a plus or a minus financially I’m not sure yet,” he said. “It’s kind of fun, we’re getting some notice.”

Savidge said his “tax holiday” could provide a more direct form of financial relief for taxpayers than subsidizing struggling school or municipal projects.

“We wanted to help the people that are keeping us in business,” he said. “The people that are most important to us are our customers, this is going to give them a break.”