Claremont school board hears strong opposition to proposed realignment

The Claremont School Board received two budget and alignment proposals at its December 19 meeting and postponed any vote until its January 7 meeting after a steady stream of public comment opposed implementation next year. Interim Superintendent Kerry Kennedy and Business Administrator Matthew Angell presented a four school model and a three school model to address a projected drop in enrollment and to rebalance classroom sizes.

Under the four school model, preK through 2 would attend one elementary building and grades 3 through 5 would attend the other elementary building while the middle school and high school would remain grades 6 through 8 and 9 through 12 respectively. The three school model would move grades 3 through 6 to the middle school and place grades 7 through 12 at the high school. Both proposals were framed as efforts to balance classroom numbers, increase early grade intervention and maximize district resources.

Speakers pushed back strongly. Several parents and teachers urged the board to maintain the current arrangement in which Disnard and Maple Avenue elementary schools each serve kindergarten through 5, a configuration adopted after Bluff Elementary closed in September. "I urge the board to slow down and keep the four school model," said parent Molly DeLuca. Teachers warned of academic and social harm from multiple moves between buildings. "I respectfully ask the board to maintain the status quo for the coming school year and allow students to have an uninterrupted school year, while giving the board, administration and community time to come up with a well thought out plan," said second grade teacher and union president Tammy Yates. Stevens High School teacher Leslie Peabody said recent midyear decisions tied to a discovered budget gap have eroded staff trust and morale. "Whether you like it or not, there is a significant issue with employment uncertainty, mistrust and cynicism," Peabody said.

School Board member Candy Crawford, who worked with Angell on the budgets, said no teaching positions would be cut and that some teachers would be reassigned as interventionists. "Those positions are to help students who are struggling academically so they do not fall further behind," Crawford said. The four school budget totals $44.8 million, a 3.9 percent increase over this year, with an estimated combined school tax rate rise of 1.37 dollars per thousand dollars of assessed value. The three school budget is $43.9 million, a 1.83 percent increase, with a projected 64 cent tax increase. District enrollment has declined from about 1,800 in 2010 to 1,400 this year and is projected to fall below 1,100 by 2035 to 2036, a trend that also reduces per pupil state aid.

With no action taken at the meeting, the board will continue budget and alignment discussions in early January, leaving the district and voters to weigh the trade offs between fiscal pressures and continuity for students.