Gorham School Committee incumbents Jim Hager and Marie South are running uncontested for three-year terms.
Both have chaired the committee previously.
Hager, 50, and his wife Michelle, live on Newton Drive. They have two sons. Andy graduated Gorham High School in June and Dan is a senior there.
Hager enjoys his duty on the school committee. “I find it very rewarding,” he said.
South, 47, and her husband Chris, live on George Street. They don’t have children in the Gorham school system, as their two daughters are grown.
She is seeking a third term, as is Hager. South is worried about “availability of budget money” for the school district if voters pass the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Hager said a big concern is providing a quality education for Gorham students while keeping an eye on the budget. “We have to be sensitive to the taxpayers in Gorham,” Hager said.
With the federally mandated No Child Left Behind and state assessments to meet, Hager said, “We’re always challenged to meet the needs.”
South said overcrowding is a problem at Gorham schools, including the high school and the three elementary ones.
“I’m really worried about facilities and how fast the town is growing,” South said, while bearing in mind the tax burden for property owners.
She said the long-term goal is to have three elementary schools housing kindergarten through the fifth grade. The school committee is hoping for 500 students at Narragansett, Village and White Rock schools.
The White Rock School is on a state list for help, and would either be renovated or replaced with a new school. “We have to prove to the state that a new school is needed,” Hager said. “The school is way over populated.”
If a new school received state approval, it would be located in the Little Falls corridor, which includes White Rock, according to Hager.
Discussions are also under way for all-day kindergarten in Gorham.
Hager instituted delivering an oral report each month to the town council. If the school committee re-elects Hager as chairman, he plans to continue informing the town council. “We’re working for the same taxpayers,” Hager said.
The municipal administrative offices and superintendent’s office will both move into the renovated Shaw School this fall.
Cutline (Jim hager) 
Cutline (Marie South 1) – Marie South
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