Zapantis proposes $26.15 million budget
New budget includes online classes, asks for full-day kindergarten
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School Superintendent Michael Zapantis proposed an approximately $26.15 million budget for the 2009 fiscal year.

The new budget includes a variety of new initiatives for the school district including offering virtual high school courses to the high school and a director of secondary curriculum.

The budget also proposes to restore some of the items cut from this year's budget such as the curriculum renew cycle, a new computer lease and some staffing positions.

"This is really the future of the school district, this major initiatives list," Zapantis said.

Zapantis is proposing buying 50 slots in an online course program, which teaches more than 400 different high school courses.

"(Virtual high school) is a great way of increasing the course offerings," he said.

Some of the town officials asked if this could be a way to decrease the number of teachers the district currently employees. Zapantis said it is not, because it takes a highly motivated student to succeed in an online course.

The program would cost about $31,000 during the first year because it includes training two teachers to help the students participating in the program from the district.

The budget would also include fully funding full-day kindergarten at both elementary schools.

"Starting full-day kindergarten is expensive, maintaining it is not," he said.

Zapantis proposed using some of the money from the school district's excessand deficiency account to fund the first year of the program, until the state reimbursements increase the following fiscal year.

"I would strongly urge you to consider implementing full-day kindergarten," he said.

The district currently offers half-day kindergarten for free and a tuition-based full-day program for a small number of students.

School Committee Chairman David Christianson asked if there was enough space for students in full-day kindergarten. Zapantis said it would be a tight squeeze.

"It may mean shifting things around," he said. "We can do it. It may not please everybody, but we can."

The budget also includes a new paraprofessional and supplies for an English Language Learner program. Zapantis said there is an increasing demographic of students in need of this service, which is mandated by the state.

"We need to provide services to these students," he said.

After the meeting he said the district currently contracts out these services.

Christianson asked if there was a way to job-share the position with another district, and Zapantis said he would look into the options.

The budget also includes restoring some personnel that was lost due to budget cuts such as secretarial hours at John R. Briggs, Westminster Elementary and Overlook Middle schools, as well as a custodial position at Briggs.

"Our folks in the building are crying for help," Zapantis said.

One of the new types of personnel positions that Zapantis is recommending is school adjustment counselors at some of the schools.

"We have this conversation year after year," he said. "The difficulties that go on in certain homes is amazing."

The funding for the budget has not been determined yet because there is no indication from the state as to how much the district will received in transportation reimbursement or Chapter 70 funds. But Zapantis said if the two towns contributed the same as last year, plus the school's share of the 2.5 percent tax levy increase, and the state's funding does not increase, there could be as much as $1.29 million shortfall.

Zapantis told the town officials attending the meeting that during the next six to eight weeks some of that picture will become clearer.

Westminster Advisory Board member Brian Ruland asked if any of the $785,000, which was just certified, in the excess-anddeficiency account would be used to offset the budget.

Christianson said the School Committee would be having that discussion during some of their upcoming meetings.

In other business:

• The School Committee did not take any public comment at the beginning of their meeting, despite a large contingent of teachers attending the early part of the meeting.

Christianson said the only item on the agenda was the budget presentation and that he had told the chairman of the teacher union's professional rights and responsibility - the union's negotiating subcommittee - that there would be no public comment during the meeting.

The group said there must have been some miscommunication and most members of the group left after hearing they would not be able to address the committee.

The district and teacher's union have been working to create a new contract for the last year and the teacher's contract expired on June 30, 2007. This is the third time members of the union have tried to address the committee and the first time they have not been allowed.