Steve Caldwell, 44, is an incumbent seeking his second term on the Gorham School Committee.

He’s running again to keep the budget down. “I’ve been happy with minor budget increases in the past two years,” he said.

When he was first elected to the School Committee three years ago, he thought there was waste in the budget. “Once you started picking it apart, there wasn’t,” said Caldwell, who has served on the finance and personnel committees. “It’s cut down as close as it can be cut.”

About the possibility of Gorham sharing a superintendent with another district as a cost saving item, he would have to look at the “variables” to determine whether it would be feasible. “I’m not sold on it,” he said.

He said costs of fuel and electricity have been significant budget increases for the schools. In an effort to reduce expenses in other places, he would like to see the school department work with town departments to consolidate some services. Currently, they share a town’s mechanic, who works on school busses, and he said they’re looking at sharing a technical person for computer repair.

He believes there are other areas where the two could cooperate. “It would save money for the town,” he said.

Conditions at the White Rock School concern Caldwell. The school is cramped for space and portables provide space for additional classrooms and Caldwell said that the septic system could “go” anytime. White Rock School is on a state list for help and Caldwell would like to serve on a building committee. “That school absolutely needs help,” he said.

He said expansion of the high was grossly under figured several years ago and several classrooms are now in portables. In addition, parking at the high school is “horrible,” especially for sporting events, he said. Caldwell said parking tightened recently as renovation got underway at the former Shaw School, which has parking adjacent to the high school.

Caldwell doesn’t support “bumping up taxes” to pay for more sports parking. Although he favors athletic programs, academics would take precedence over sports, if it came down to one over the other.

About a shortage of athletic fields in Gorham, Caldwell said the situation improved when the middle school was built.

About moving up to class A in sports, Caldwell said the teams have done even better and he didn’t see any administrative problems connected with the step up. “I think we’ve handled it well,” he said.

Speaking about the No Child Left Behind law, Caldwell thinks it’s good, but questioned results of assessments for specific groups. “They are making a lot of schools look bad that aren’t,” he said.

Caldwell, a Gorham High School and college graduate, is a store manager in North Windham for Lavalley Lumber. He and his wife, Dawn, have two children, Matthew, 17, and Caitlin, 14. They live on Lily Lane.

He said three years ago he was the outsider on the school committee. “I speak my mind. If I lose a vote, I lose it,” he said.