York Town News
School Committee to announce new CRES principal, tackle school consolidation issues at meeting tonight
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - As early as tonight, the name of the new Coastal Ridge Elementary School principal could be released to the community and, at the same time, the School Committee will be taking a close look at the potential impact of the state's mandated school consolidation on the community.
The School Committee's meeting is scheduled to begin tonight, Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m., at the York Public Library, immediately following an executive session where the School Committee and school officials will meet in private with a finalist for the post that becomes available when CRES Principal Jane Stephenson retires at the end of the current academic year.
The announcement regarding the principal is scheduled to be made later in the meeting, according to the agenda.
An item entitled "School Consolidation Presentation and Discussion" is the first listing on the public portion of the committee's agenda. This is the latest effort to educate the public about what town and school officials have called a "moving target" of attempting to plan for the future of the town's schools - and budgeting - since Gov. John Baldacci included a sweeping school district consolidation plan as part of the state budget back in January.
Following a public outcry about Baldacci's "Local Schools, Regional Support" initiative, the Legislature's Education Committee reviewed multiple proposals and released a draft that modified the plan to be more in keeping with concerns raised by towns and cities across the state about impact on school quality, budgeting, oversight and home rule.
The Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, however, has since been in the process of amending that proposal to meet targets imposed in the state budget, and local officials - from the School Committee to the Board of Selectmen to members of the Tax Task Force - are concerned that the mandates in the latest draft will force York to join with other towns in a new district where the local School Committee will cease to exist and budgeting decisions may have to be made outside the bounds of York's Home Rule Charter.
Both the School Committee and Board of Selectmen are urging local residents to attend tonight's meeting, or to watch on Public Access Channel 3, to learn more about the current draft of the proposal and its implications for the community.
For more on what is scheduled for tonight's meeting, check out our "Agendas".
