By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

 In order to uphold existing contracts with Cape Elizabeth teachers in 2009-2010, Superintendent Alan Hawkins said he will need $1.1 million more than was budgeted for the 2008-2009 school year. 

The school board recommended a 2 percent budget increase will bring next year’s proposed budget to $20.1 million, falling $716,000 short of breaking even, he said at last week’s first school board budget workshop. 

“I have people who tell me to get to a 0 or a negative 1 [percent increase from last year’s budget] and other people who tell me to get it to a 3 or 4 [percent increase from last year’s budget],” he said. “No matter what you do, you don’t satisfy everyone.”

Hawkins’ proposed school budget does not include funding for five teacher “leader” positions and reduces funding for a “Reading Recovery” and early literacy programs at Pond Cove. One new position in the proposed budget is a part-time nurse at the high school, a nearly $19,000 line item, according to his proposal. 

“That addition is based on the needs we are seeing,” he said.

To find further ways to meet the proposed 2 percent increase, Hawkins said he turned to individual school administrators to “cut or find a different plan” for next year.

“When I was a school administrator, I felt I knew my building best,” he said. “These are the people who really know what’s needed.”

Pond Cove Elementary School Principal Tom Eismeier proposed eliminating one second-grade teacher and two part-time stipend positions – a savings of more than $41,000 – and said there could be other areas reduced.

“I’m a realist, this budget could go lower,” he said. 

Cape Elizabeth Middle School Principal Steve Connolly said eliminating the equivalent of 2.7 full time staff positions – affecting three ed tech positions and one technology teacher – could save nearly $111,000, but will result in the fifth and sixth grade allied language arts program coming to an end. 

School board member Patricia Brigham said discussing the loss of the language arts program was “gut wrenching.”

“It saddens me to see that this is leaving,” she said. “Speech and communication is a life skill. Eliminating [language arts] severely challenges our ability to do our mission.”

Cape Elizabeth High School Principal Jeff Shedd said the 2 percent increase posed a “challenge to creativity.” He proposed saving more than $135,000 by eliminating the equivalent of two full time positions – including an executive skills teacher and staff at the Achievement Center – which would mean students would only be able to take one course of Latin as opposed to two.

“The Achievement Center will stay open. The fact is not enough kids want to take Latin to justify it economically,” he said. “I’m not going to say the sky is falling, because it isn’t.”

Cape Elizabeth Director of Instructional Support Dominic Depatsy said the school’s special education program – which oversees 28 autistic students – could be eligible for $500,000 in federal economic stimulus money to help subsidize the department’s proposed $2.3 million budget. However, accepting the funds could mean making long-term changes to the Cape Elizabeth School Department, as he said 15 percent of the funding must be used for a preschool budget – a facility not currently included in the Cape Elizabeth school system. 

“We have 15 months to spend the money or it’s gone,” he said. “There are a lot of strings attached. The emphasis is to focus on early intervention,” 

Brigham said she thought it was important to point out the school is required by federal mandate to provide special education, although a majority of the program’s budget is shouldered by local taxpayers. 

“I would say [taxpayers provided] $2 million [out of last year’s $2.3 million special education budget],” Depatsy said.

Cape Elizabeth resident and former teacher Barbara Dunham said she thought it was inappropriate to consider special education costs an “unfunded mandate,” and encouraged the school board and school administrators to begin thinking about school funding in new ways.

“It seems there is a lot of effort at keeping current structures in place,” she said. “We have two principals [kindergarten] through [eighth grade], why not one? We need to think bolder and bigger.”

Resident Bill Desena suggested the school board renegotiate teacher contracts to reduce the $1.1 million to be spent on increased wages and benefits next year.

“You’re having to struggle hard to save nickels and dimes,” he said. “You really have to look at the salary and benefits and renegotiate the contracts. If [a 2 percent increased budget] doesn’t fly, you either cut severely or you share the pain.”

According to Hawkin’s proposal, a 2 percent increase in the school budget would increase property tax levels for a median household – valued at approximately $252,000 – by $125, a more than 4 percent increase.

The next school budget workshop and public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb. 24, at the Cape Elizabeth High School library. According to a preliminary budget schedule, a proposed draft of the municipal budget will be delivered to the town council before March 6.