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Board of Directors It is with great pleasure that we report to you the accomplishments in S.A.D. #4 over the past year and more importantly about the challenges we face, not only in the immediate future, but as we see things down-the-road. Your elected Board members have had to deal with some very difficult decisions this past year and at the same time have seen some of the fruits of their labors, and that of previous Board members. At the outset, let us speak to the great need for participation by all citizens in the improvement and maintenance of our schools. Our regular monthly Board meetings on the second Tuesday of each month are open to the general public and we encourage you to attend and hear about the issues we face. There is an opportunity at the beginning of every meeting for anyone to address the Board on any subject and we assure you that we do listen carefully. Your input and insight are valuable if we are to reflect community standards. We are happy to report that this past year has seen a strong effort at our Elementary schools with an increased focus on reading. Reading support teams have been formed to give our students daily small group instruction. The Elementary Schools have adopted two reading intervention programs; "Early Success" and "Soar to Success". This past summer they operated a highly successful eight day Summer Reading Academy attended by ninety seven students. Our first ever Kindergarten Camp was attended by forty two of our forty five incoming kindergarten students which made for a very smooth school opening. These programs along with the new computer labs at Abbie Fowler, McKusick, and Guilford Primary schools were funded through federal grants awarded to our district. Also new this term is a regular Physical Education program in the Elementary schools. At the Middle School we have effectively doubled the amount of language arts instruction for our students, including a whole new book series. We have also greatly expanded our technology and computer instruction classes. Programs such as "Soar to Success" and The America's Cup, as well as educational trips to Quebec, the Penobscot Theater and the Portland Playhouse, along with Sea Dogs games and a new fifth grade ski program have all served to create a school that excels in. climate. A caring, friendly atmosphere that encourages and challenges each student to do well. The success story at PCHS has been well chronicled in the press, however some of best areas often go under recognized. We have added college credit classes for students in math and English and instituted a state-of-the-art Manufacturing Technology Program. This is further enhanced by articulation agreements with KVTC for those students enabling them to earn college credits. The PCHS Band was invited to the Virginia Music Festival last Spring and our boys took the Eastern Maine Outdoor Track Championship. One of our seniors, Graham Brown was named a National Merit Finalist, an outstanding achievement. This year our eleventh graders scored well above the State averages in all test areas of the "New Revised" MEA tests, continuing a level of excellence few school systems have been able to attain. At a District wide level the very exciting and educational Community Learning Center Programs continue to attract large numbers of student. The school doors hardly have a chance to close at the end of the academic year before they burst open, the buses are rolling and kids are back at school in the summer for more. Coordinated community programs such as swimming lessons, camping excursions, and summer recreation programs are blended with reading programs, math and language arts programs. Your district schools function almost year round and when you include our highly regarded Adult Education Program it seems like the lights never get turned off. All is not rosy however. While all of the above has been achieved, we are in danger of loosing much of the great progress we have made. Our rapidly declining enrollment directly affects the level of state funding the district receives. Your School Board and the administration have been working very carefully to maintain a high level of programing while revenues decline. Despite what you might hear in the news about increased State funding, what actually is occurring is the opposite. The projections provided by the State Department of Education for 2000-01 actually reduces the amount we will receive in general operating revenue by $15,000.00 At the same time, the state allocation has been reduced by $180,000.00. This results in the local taxpayers being assessed an additional $165,000.00. This new funding level however, actually reflects only 50% of our losses from lower student enrollments. The remaining 50% reduction will be reflected in the 2001-02 school year budget along with that years enrollment related losses. This all boils down to the District being forced to cut between $125,000 and $140,000 from the budget for fiscal year 2000-01 to avoid adding any further burden to the taxpayers beyond the $165,000 increase. Your Board members and the Superintendent have met with all of the District town's Boards of Selectmen to discuss the impact of all of this and to address ways to bring in a balanced budget. Our options are few, our resources limited. S.A.D. #4 is already considered to be one of the most cost effective, cost efficient school systems in Maine. In fact there is a State Commission studying what factors contribute to schools that get the biggest bang for the buck. S.A.D. #4 is at the top of that list, exceeding richer more upscale districts by leaps and bounds. It is a philosophy that means our kids are getting a first rate, world class education while keeping the impact to taxpayers to a minimum. To maintain that commitment means we have to make the kinds of decisions and changes that none of us want to make, but must make, if we really want to give our kids a fighting chance in the future, We are sure there will be many questions and a lot of concerns. It is important that you bring them to your Board members. We are working hard to serve not only the taxpayers and the communities, but more importantly your children. Respectfuly submitted, William F. Hume |