York Town News
School officials hope to bring forward York High School arts project
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - Before the ballots went to publication for the May Budget Referendum, a project to add arts instructional space at York High School, which had won the full support of the School Committee and the endorsement of the Budget Committee, had to be pulled from the warrant.
The decision came when the School Department learned there could be issues with the approximately $1.3 million in funds generated as interest income on the York Middle School general obligation bonds.
Three days before the budget vote - and too late to make any changes to the ballot - the legal counsel's recommendation cane through regarding those funds.
"It was his strong recommendation that those funds be used to fund the fiscal 2008 principal and interest," on the York School Department's debt service, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jim Amoroso told the School Committee at its meeting last week.
As fate would have it, the voters approved an almost identical expenditure on the warrant to pay down those general obligation bonds, and now those funds that were appropriated from taxes will be going into the town's fund balance as the interest income money will be used instead.
"The money's simply going to move from interest income to the general fund," Amoroso said.
However, that accounting move created a question for the School Committee on what recommendation to make for future use of those funds, as the commitment in the past had been to use the money toward the York High School music instructional space addition.
Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos suggested a full discussion at a future meeting, especially given the current exploration of consolidation with other school districts as mandated by the state.
"I think we have to look at the bigger picture of what's happening with our district," she said.
Her fellow School Committee members, however, said that now that the legal opinion has indicated the funds should be used for principal and interest on the loans, making equal funds available for potential use for the construction project, the committee should think in that direction again.
"I do think it's worth stating that nothing has changed from the point in time when we made our original decision, four or five months ago, in terms of the arts wing," said John D'Aquila.
He pointed out that had the fund balance been available, it would have been on the May ballot for voter approval.
"Whether you call it fund balance or whether you call it interest income, it was non-operating fund surplus that would have had to receive voter approval," he said. "My initial reaction would be it makes sense to stay the course with the arts wing."
Fellow board members Tim Fitzgerald and Mary-Jane Merrill agreed.
"In the end, the voters will decide as to how we do that," Zotos said of the use of those funds.
In other business, the School Committee acknowledged Gara Sanborn of Coastal Ridge Elementary School's Nutrition Program, who received an award for excellence from Maine School Food Service, and discussed this year's Summer Institute program with Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Maryann Minard.
The Summer Institute is underway this week, with 137 participants volunteering their time for professional development opportunities. While 71 of those educators are from the York School Department, others have come to town from as far away as Texas, Wyoming, Arizona and Pennsylvania, as well as places across the Northeast.
