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Members of the SAD 4 building, grounds and transportation committee brainstormed ideas Tuesday evening in an effort to jump-start the process. The discussion will continue May 1 when directors are expected to organize a steering committee to help plot the district's future. Nothing has been spared in discussions to date, including the closing of the Abbie Fowler School in Sangerville, the Wellington Elementary School and the Cambridge Elementary School. Administrators envisioned these school closings about 10 years ago when hub schools in Guilford and Parkman were developed. The proposal that has been discussed is to bus pupils from these three schools to the hub schools. Directors emphasize that no decisions have been made yet and all options are under consideration. "It's not the dollar for the sake of keeping a facility open but more a dollar for providing the needs for the children," said interim SAD 4 Superintendent Michael Cyr Wednesday. "Money isn't the issue; the quality of education is the issue," said committee Chairwoman Phyllis Watson Tuesday evening. Some meetings have already been held in which residents and SAD 4 staff made suggestions on how to address the double whammy of fewer students and less subsidy. Among the suggestions aired were to improve economic development to entice young families to the district, reduce personnel, share services and combine the high school with a neighboring district. The district had an enrollment of 1,016 in 1996 compared to a projected enrollment of 706 in 2005. From 1992 to date, SAD 4 communities have essentially "flat-funded" the budget, according to Cyr. In 1992, the district budget was $4.3 million and this year, the budget is projected at $5.5 million, according to the administrator. "The next five years is going to be quite a challenge," Cyr told the committee. He cited the renovation needed at Piscataquis Community High School. The school has a 32-year-old boiler with no backup system and old plumbing and wiring, he noted. "I don't know where you'd start" to bring the building up to code because there are so many problems, he said. For instance, he said sinks in the bathrooms are no longer functional and the faucets are gone. Cyr noted the need for the district to restructure its programs, curriculum and facilities for the future. Because the district's facilities are widespread, professional time is lost, he said. The school nurse, music instructor and physical education teacher spend considerable time traveling from school to school, and their time could be used more wisely under one roof, the superintendent said. In addition, there is a need for guidance services in the elementary schools, he said. "The finances are impacting on our program delivery and the logistics are impacting on our program delivery and we've got to figure out how to rethink the mode," Cyr said. One immediate solution that has surfaced frequently at committee meetings is to close the three elementary schools. One proposal is to have the kindergarten and first-grade pupils attend the McKusick School in Parkman and pupils in grades two and three attend the Guilford Primary School. Under this scenario, fourth-graders would attend the Piscataquis Community Middle School. But whatever decisions are made, the changes will be to improve education for all students, according to the superintendent. The committee intends to research all options to ensure the best education for the district, he stated. "We can't look back ÷ we need to look forward," Cyr said. |