LISBON

Although the town council commended the Lisbon School Department’s proposed budget for 2016-17 during a public hearing Tuesday night, several parents and students spoke against proposed art teacher reductions at the high school.

Superintendent Richard Green said the total proposed budget, including adult education, is $15,325,540 — a decrease of $31,856. The local portion funded through taxes is $5,994,083, which is an increase of $482,058 or 8.7 percent.

Green said he didn’t yet have estimates for how the proposed budget will impact the tax rate.

The state contribution is decreasing by $410,616 or 4.5 percent, which is a factor in the increase in local funding. There is also a total debt payment of $487,324 for the new gym and track.

Salaries and benefits account for 73 percent of the budget. Green said when they started the budget process, if keeping all programs and resources they have now, they were looking at a $1.6 million increase in the local contribution.

“As far as reductions go, we have already notified several staff that they would not be issued a contract for next year,” Green said. Some staff in the gifted and talented program have been notified they will be shifted, which doesn’t necessarily mean any of those teachers will be directly impacted.

There were cuts in technology and the administrative secretary position was reduced. Other reductions include an art and physical education/health position, a LEAD position, school resource officer, a maintenance position and at least one van driver. Green said the majority of these positions belong to people retiring or leaving the district.

Students were worried about losing art classes due to the reductions, and possibly losing art teachers Pam Ouellette and Jennifer Fox. Several spoke to councilors and school committee members during the public budget hearing about the impact the teachers have had on their lives. School officials said the two art teachers would just be working in other Lisbon schools and aren’t losing their jobs.

Lisbon High School senior Alyssa Briglio said at risk is losing both Ouellette and Fox to Philip W. Sugg Middle School half time; or one of them full time.

“With this risk we will lose half of our art classes,” she said.

If Ouellette leaves, there will be no studio art and if Fox leaves the high school, there will be no more theater arts, she said.

“Either way, there will be not enough time in the schedule for one art teacher to teach all these classes,” Briglio said.

Michelle Huston works at Lisbon High School as an education technician. She said with the loss of core classes at the high school, “that is going to increase the number of kids in my academic support periods,” which she said are reformed study halls.

“I already have 32 kids in my classes,” she said. “What is going to happen if we eliminate these other core classes for these kids to take? You’re going to have to hire more people like me. I would rather have kids have actual classes than sitting in and being policed by myself.”

Councilor Kasie Kolbe echoed the concern about a lack of opportunities and said while she understand the reason for the cuts, “I just want to make sure that future-wise, we’re not doing more harm than good.”

Traci Austin, chairwoman of Lisbon School Committee, said, “I think with any type of cuts, we do more harm than good. That’s just the nature of the beast.”

Nothing is ideal, she said, adding, “We were just clawing our way back to be able to give extra electives and keep children’s interest.”

The council will vote on adopting a 2016-17 school budget May 17 to send to voters in June.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

Budget numbers

• SUPERINTENDENT Richard Green said the total proposed school budget, including adult education, is $15,325,540 — a decrease of $31,856. The local portion funded through taxes is $5,994,083, which is an increase of $482,058 or 8.7 percent.

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu