Scarborough’s three elementary schools need additional staff to help deal with a dramatic increase in student behavioral problems, and all the schools need more help to boost lagging literacy and math skills.

Meeting on Jan. 28 and 29 with members of the Scarborough School Board’s Finance Committee, school officials detailed the reasons behind a proposed 2008-2009 school spending plan of $36.4 million, an 8.7 percent increase, or $2.9 million, over the 2007-2008 budget. School officials also described budget requests that will not be included in the budget as it goes to the full School Board Feb. 7, including an additional position that would assist with behavioral problems.

Principals of Eight Corners, Pleasant Hill and Blue Point schools all referenced a significant increase over the last five years in “disruptive behavior” among elementary schoolchildren. According to principals, disruptive behavior can be defined by a child’s defiance, physical aggression, or non-compliance with teachers or school rules.

“Behavioral issues are more prevalent now in young children than I’ve seen in the 20-plus years I’ve been in education,” Evelyn Horton, Pleasant Hill School principal, told the committee.

The elementary school principals are requesting an additional social worker to add to the existing two that are shared among the three schools. A behavior intervention strategist is also being requested. That person would be someone who specializes in addressing behavioral problems in children.

The additional social worker position has been approved by the Finance Committee and Superintendent David Doyle. However, when the School Board gets the budget at its meeting on Feb. 7, the behavior intervention strategist will be listed as an “unmet need.” The School Board has the option of adding any unmet needs to the budget with a minimum of four votes, according to Doyle. The cost for each position, including salary and benefits, is $50,000.

“These positions would help our staff get help and training to assist them with these children who are having a hard time adjusting to school,” said Sue Helms, Blue Point principal.

As the budget goes to the School Board, Doyle said, it is still unclear how much money Scarborough will receive from the state in aid to education. So far this year, there is a $43 million increase over last year’s money allocated for general purpose aid for education, even with the $36 million in cuts from the education consolidation plan. However, funding could be reduced as the state struggles to fill a $95 million budget shortfall.

“The problem for us at this point is that we don’t know what those revenues from the state are going to be, whether we’ll be relatively flat funded or what the reality is given the shortfall at the state level,” Doyle said.

Principals across the district also stressed the importance of creating more one-on-one student attention, to accommodate and address student needs such as developing literacy and math skills. According to Ann-Mayre Dexter, Wentworth Intermediate School principal, “One in four of our student population needs assistance with literacy.”

Wentworth is requesting a part-time speech and language therapist to help students with literacy, and a full-time resource room teacher to help students who need additional academic support. These positions are categorized as unmet needs.

The middle and high schools are requesting additional personnel for their study centers to help support students on an individual level. At the middle school, 29 students “did not meet” and 124 students “partially met” the state standards on Maine Educational Assessment reading tests. The two schools are also requesting $35,000 for a Summer Math Academy, as an addition to the existing Summer Reading Academy.

Another factor influencing next year’s increased budget is the need for additional staff to meet the projected rising student enrollment. The high school is requesting the addition of two full-time faculty members based on enrollment-driven needs, one math-science teacher and one English teacher. The high school had 921 students enrolled in 2006-2007. The current enrollment is 1,040, with a projected rise to 1,069 students in 2008-2009.

The middle school is requesting the addition of one full-time teacher to reduce class size for its incoming fall 2008 sixth-grade. The middle school expects to see an increase in enrollment of about 10 students next year.

Blue Point, Pleasant Hill and Eight Corners elementary schools are each requesting an additional full-time teacher to accommodate an increase in student enrollment. Blue Point is asking for an additional kindergarten teacher, Eight Corners is requesting an additional first grade teacher, and Pleasant Hill hasn’t decided on a grade level due to undetermined enrollment numbers.

Other pressures on the budget come from program-based needs, such as additional technology support at the high school and intermediate school. The high school is requesting the addition of one full-time technology aide, while Wentworth Intermediate School is requesting a part-time technology aide. The aides work with staff to incorporate and use technology in the classroom.

Other budget item requests came from the Special Services and Food Service departments. In Special Services, a full-time English as a second language teacher, a part-time physical therapist, and part-time language facilitator were listed as unmet needs. In Food Services, an additional oven and dishwasher were requested at Wentworth.

The School Board will have its first reading of the proposed budget on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Town Council chambers, and its second reading on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Town Council Chambers. After a vote at the second meeting, the budget will be sent to the town manager, and then to the Town Council in April.