HOLLAND — The Holland Elementary School budget foundered Tuesday on a tie vote, 57 to 57.
Despite the best efforts of the Holland Elementary School Board, it was forced to once again present a million-dollar budget to the voters on Town Meeting Day.Though the school budget was discussed at length, for the first time Australian ballot decided the final outcome.
The novelty of the situation was compounded by the tie vote.Town Moderator Ernie Emmerson said Tuesday night that, though he was not sure how state law treats a tie, “my gut tells me that it will be called a fail.”
At last year’s meeting the board presented a budget of $1,006,277 which voters rejected.At a special meeting held on May 5, 2009 a budget figure of $999,016 was approved.The budget the board put before the meeting on Tuesday was $1,005,072.
“The first thing Michael [Lyon] said was it has to come in under a million dollars,” School Board Chairman Diana Limlaw said of her fellow board member.“There are so many moving pieces that every time we cut it back it ended up going up again.So much of this budget is based on grants and best guesses that it is really hard to keep costs down.”
Steadily declining enrollment has led to a significant jump in the amount of money it costs to educate the town’s students, Mitch Wonson said.The time has come when the board needs to seriously consider consolidating with other schools.Morgan’s E. Taylor Hatton School comes to mind, he said.
“That’s fifteen grand per kid and that’s untenable,” Mr. Wonson said.“It seems to me that it would be prudent to preempt the state on consolidation.”
Susan Boucher investigated what the cost would be to transfer 80 students to Derby Elementary School.Her efforts revealed that, once busing costs are factored in, the cost per student would amount to approximately $10,200 per student.
Closing Holland Elementary would provide students with access to more programs and technology at a savings of nearly $150,000, Ms. Boucher said.The Holland School’s current enrollment stands at 65 students.
Closing the school should be a last resort, Mr. Lyon replied.Once a school is closed it becomes much more difficult to reinstate it, he cautioned.
“Up until this point we haven’t heard anyone say ‘shut down this school,’” Mr. Lyon said.
Joan Hickey expressed concerns about closing the school.
“What would be left of Holland if the school is gone?” Ms. Hickey said.“We don’t have a post office and we don’t have a store.The school is the only thing we have that ties this community together.”
The apparent consensus among voters on Tuesday morning was that the time has come to play hardball with the teachers’ union.At a time when everyone else is tightening their belts, teachers appear to be the only ones seeking raises, Richard Long said.
“Why are teachers put above everyone else in town?” Mr. Long said.“A million dollars for 63 kids?For fifteen or sixteen thousand dollars you could almost go to college for that.”
The suggestion to hold teachers accountable received approval from former union school director Diane Rowlee.The contract is up for negotiation this year and now is the time to act, she said.
“We run the risk of having them go on strike,” Ms. Rowlee said.“I say let them.Hopefully we can hold the line.”
The proposal met with support from an unlikely source — a teacher.Jennifer Patenaude is a special education consultant within the North Country Schools district.She cautioned voters to make this an issue about a flawed system and not one that simply targets teachers.
“It’s about the system, not individuals,” she said.“I have lived in this community all my life and I know what people are coping with.I think I am overpaid, but no one has ever asked me if I would be willing to take a cut.
“I would be the first person to say I won’t take an increase, that I would accept a freeze.Now is the time something can be done.”
She did caution that cuts to non-contract personnel would likely harm the children in most need of services.Changes can be made, but those changes need to consider how it will affect struggling students.Her speech was accompanied by generous applause from the audience.
For the fifth consecutive year Bob Cooper questioned the school board about its burdensome unfunded mandates.To his dismay the board was unable to break out what proportion of those mandates were covered by grants and state and federal funds, and which portions were borne by the town.However, the district is in line for an audit this year and the auditors may be able to uncover the numbers Mr. Cooper seeks, Ms. Limlaw said.
The only real solution to combat the effects of this “stealth tax,” Mr. Cooper said, is to recognize what the actual burden is and then seek relief from the state or federal government in that amount.Ultimately this is a problem that can only be rectified by bringing the matter up with state and federal representatives, Mr. Cooper said.They are the ones with the power to ensure that these mandates receive the funding necessary to carry them forward.
Ms. Limlaw invited Mr. Cooper to come to the school board and work with them to determine how great a burden these mandates are.Following the lunch break, Mr. Cooper did agree to take them up on that offer.
“Goodness knows I don’t want to be on the school board, thankless job that it is,” Mr. Cooper said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.“But I understand their point.It isn’t enough to throw out questions.Sometimes you need to be willing to step up and help out where you can.”
The rest of the articles on the warning passed with little discussion or fanfare.The voters approved a town budget of $478,749 as well as a 10 percent share of a new pumper truck for the Derby Line Fire Department to total no more than $23,900.The voters also approved shifting the school board’s $28,959 surplus into a building reserve fund slated for replacement of the school’s roof.
In the town’s lone contested race, incumbent Selectman Brett Farrow was re-elected to a three-year term over challenger Carroll Billado.Mr. Billado was later elected to the school board to replace outgoing school director Karl Davison.Mr. Davison declined to run for another term.
Diane Judd was re-elected town clerk, treasurer, town agent, delinquent tax collector and lister.Ernie Emmerson was again elected as moderator for the town and school district.Speedo Deskins was re-elected grand juror while Al Hauver and Lenny Brien return to positions on the town planning commission.
Incumbent Town Constable Clara Nadeau declined a nomination, yielding the position to Marc Farrow.Suzanne Moulton returns as a town auditor for a three-year term.
Ms. Rowlee declined to return as the union school director representing Holland on the junior high and high school boards.She cautioned any potential candidates that the job is important and the board will face tremendous challenges over the next few years.It also requires a level of investment in both time and energy, she said.
The nomination eventually went to Diana Emmerson, much to the surprise of her husband, the moderator.Ms. Emmerson accepted the nomination, prompting Ms. Rowlee to quip, “I hope you know how to cook,” to which Mr. Emmerson replied “No comment."
