Citing rapidly increasing K-5 enrollment projections for Gorham School District’s three elementary schools and concerns about the number of students that would be moved under a plan to meld the Village and Narragansett attendance zones, Superintendent Heather Perry recommended to the School Committee (SC) that the zones remain as they are for the 2017-18 year at an April 5 budget workshop meeting.
The Committee agreed and rejected the plan that would have required moving 48 students next year. Earlier projections suggested that melding the zones would have affected only 20 students. Although there will be no shifting of students in 2017-18, Perry said that there probably will be changes the following year after a special committee currently working on the impact of K-5 enrollment makes its report.
More than 50 parents attended the SC budget workshop. Those who spoke before the meeting urged Committee members to reject the melding plan. They were concerned about the effect it would have on their children, particularly if there were more changes the following year. They praised the quality of the school system and urged the Committee to hire more teachers rather than move students.
By maintaining the existing zones and holding the line on class size, Perry estimates the district will need to hire four additional teachers and two ed. techs. This would add $210,000 to the budget, since the melding plan would have required only two new teachers. With these changes, the proposed budget would be increased by 4.49% over last year.
After voting to leave the attendance zones unchanged and discussing the 2017-18 budget increase, the SC expressed concern over the effect of rapid growth on the Gorham schools.
“The schools are full,” stated Committee member Suzie Philips, “and there is nothing we can do to affect residential growth.”
Tim Burns agreed and said that at least the SC needs a better understanding of what growth is underway so it can plan better. Gorham, the fastest growing town in Maine, has an area of 51 square miles, much of it vacant land no longer used for farming. Although the town’s Planning Board requires that plans for new subdivision meet all the town’s rules, it cannot deny a residential project because it will increase the number of students in the public schools.
Unless Gorham attracts more businesses that generally pay higher taxes and do not add to the school enrollment, the cost of maintaining quality education will continue to rise. It is the goal of the Committee to strike an equitable balance between the burden of taxation and the needs of a school system dedicated to providing the best education for Gorham’s children.
At its regular meeting on April 12, the School Committee voted to submit a 2017-18 budget (or FY18 budget) of $37,921,593 to the Town Council for approval, an increase of 4.49% over the budget for 2016-17.
The School Committee will hold a joint meeting with the Town Council on May 16 and the Town Council vote is scheduled for June 6. The budget as approved by the Town Council will come before voters on June 13.