By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

Money was the main topic on the minds of Cape Elizabeth’s advanced placement high school government students Oct. 19, as the class and the public asked Cape Elizabeth School Board candidates questions.
Six residents – John Christie, Richard Dunham, Mary Kate Williams-Hewitt, David Hillman, Federic Sturtevant and the sole incumbent, Peter Cotter – are vying for the three open school board seats. All were in attendance for the debate that covered job cuts, budget cuts, the schools’ drug policy and state referendum questions concerning Tabor II and a reduction in the vehicle excise tax.
The first question of the night set the tone when the candidates were asked what their plan was for upcoming budget cuts predicted by Cape Elizabeth school superintendent, Alan Hawkins, who has already put a freeze on spending in the schools and has previously mentioned the possibility of future job cuts.
“I wouldn’t have just spent what we’ve always spent.  We should have put more money in our reserves,” said Dunham, who felt that the schools knew another budget cut was inevitable.
Williams-Hewiit, Sturtevant and Cotter said the school should tap into the creativity of its students in finding ways to save money.  Christie said he was worried because the school budget was already lean.  Hillman, who works as a bankruptcy lawyer, said the town should find a new revenue-generating source in the town, like Fort Williams.
Another question dealt with priorities for the school board in the upcoming year, and all candidates agreed that the main priority would be the budget.
“We have a crisis,” said Hillman, “We have to make some cuts, we can’t get around it.”
 Cotter said because the budget had already been cut, the town should ignore unfunded state mandates so the state could not hurt the school system any more than it already has.
Williams-Hewitt said cuts will need to be made in teachers and programs, and the schools should continue to obey the state’s mandates.
Dunham offered another suggestion – lowering the schools’ standards, so Cape Elizabeth was the third or fourth best school in the state, not the first.
Cotter said there were ways to cut positions without lowering standards by offering co-curriculum positions. Sturtevant agreed that cuts would have to be made, but said another one of his big priorities was making the school board “quicker on their feet” when making decisions.
Hillman also said that another big priority in the school system was to have a curriculum coordinator, which the other candidates agreed would be helpful.
The other hot topic issue, especially for the many students watching the debate, was the schools’ drug policy, and whether the candidates thought the new policy – which allows amnesty for first time offenders as long as they come clean with coaches and teachers – was working.
Williams-Hewitt said it was hard for her when students looked into the faces of their parents and lied about drug and alcohol use and that the parents should be more responsible. “The parents should take the keys away from their kids so there is no drinking and driving,” she said.
Sturtevant, Dunham, Christie and Hillman all thought the policy works because of the amnesty provision.
Cotter, a 25-year recovering alcoholic, said, “Cape has a problem, I am intolerant to people who won’t get their heads out of the sand. Addiction and abuse is a fatal disease.”
He also suggested that, while the policy is a good one, each student has to sign forms and attend meetings for each sport they’re involved in, which can be redundant for any student involved in more than one sport.
Moderator Gabe Donahue, a senior in the AP government class, said after the meeting she “was very surprised at the thought-provoking answers. I gained some perspective.”

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.