Superintendent Stan Sawyer is proposing cutting $350,000 from the school budget by eliminating several administrative and educational technician positions, as well as a math teacher.
Sawyer planned to propose the cuts at a School Committee meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, May 11, in room room 114 of the high school. Sawyer is proposing the cuts in response to a directive issued by the School Committee last month.
The cuts proposed by Sawyer include eliminating the position of Curriculum Director, while creating a half-time curriculum facilitator position; eliminating five volunteer coordinator positions; eliminating four computer educational technician positions from the elementary schools, replacing them with two computer education teachers; eliminating a system-wide educational technician position; a math teacher at Westbrook High School; one administrative position at the central office and a half-time secretarial position at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.
Sawyer said the cuts are part of an overall reorganization of the School Department. He said that with the retirement of Assistant Superintendent Mike Kane, it is his intention to reduce the number of administrators in the superintendent’s office. Under the new plan, Sawyer, current Curriculum Director Jan Breton and Business Manager Michael Kucsma would be the only administrators in the School Department’s central office.
“We’re going to try and do the work of four people with three people,” Sawyer said.
In addition, Sawyer is proposing changing the duties of the director of art, who is also the gifted and talented student coordinator, and director of music from full-time administrators to part-time administrators and part-time teachers. Under the new plan, the art director would teach classes two days per week, and the music director would teach two and a half days per week.
Sawyer said the proposed cuts would not be final until the School Committee takes action on them at tonight’s meeting. The School Committee is also scheduled to set a date for its public hearing regarding the school budget at tonight’s meeting.
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