School seeks override

INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO Superintendent of Schools Robert Pellicone The School Committee voted last Thursday to forward a "projected" budget of $21,649,000 to the Finance Committee for review. The $21.6 million budget includes a Proposition 21/2 operating override of $570,000, which the Committee pledged to be used for the Nantucket Elementary School's corrective action plan.

Nantucket Elementary School was designated by the state Department of Education as a school in need of "corrective action" this year for failure to show Adequate Yearly Progress on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System for more than four years in a row.

The $570,000 override is a little bit more than half of the $920,000 override the School Committee was considering two weeks ago.

"I asked the superintendent's budget advisory committee to weigh in on this override number, and after considerable discussion, it was recommended that the override dollar amount should be reduced and any additional money should be earmarked for Nantucket Elementary School, only for the purpose of addressing corrective action plans," said Robert Pellicone, superintendent of schools. "We all agreed that Nantucket Elementary School had the greatest need in the system."

The $570,000 override would help restore five teaching assistant positions and one special education teaching position that was to be eliminated under the balanced budget. The override would also fund one English as a Second Language teaching position and a math and an English coach and curriculum development.

The school was asked by town officials to cut $1.8 million from its proposed Fiscal Year 2010 budget to offset its share of an operating shortfall. With decreasing revenue from Our Island Home, building permits, auto excise tax and other fees, the town is projecting a $3.9 million shortfall to the general fund.

While school officials and teachers agreed that the elementary school was ailing and needed funding, not all were pleased with the budget compromise.

School committee members Robin Harvey and Dr.

Tim Lepore were concerned about moving the budget forward to the finance committee with cuts made to the guidance department, especially when considering that four teenagers died tragically over an 18-month period ending in August 2008.

"Guidance is understaffed at all three schools," said Lepore.

At the middle school, two full-time guidance counselors will be reduced to one full-time and one half-time positions. The FY 10 budget cuts will also reduce one full- time wellness teacher to a part-time position and will eliminate one academic teacher and two and onehalf teaching assistants from the middle school. The Peer Mediation salaried position will be eliminated, but the program will continue to be supported by guidance and behavioral programs, said Caryl Toole, principal of Cyrus Peirce.

At the high school, three academic teaching positions will be eliminated and will result in increased class sizes or the elimination of courses in English, math, social studies and world languages. The peer mediation position shared with the middle school will also be eliminated, yet the program will continue, said John Buckey, Nantucket High School principal.

"In the end, the final number of $21,649,000 is appropriate for services," said Pellicone. I