The School Administration District 61 school board encountered an emotional response from educational technicians Monday, eight of whom will lose their jobs in the proposed budget for next year.

The district is projected to receive $2.4 million less next year in state subsidy. Other cuts arise from Reorganization Law passed by the Maine Legislature last June.

SAD 61 has chosen to stand alone instead of consolidating with neighboring districts, but is still required to reduce its budget in certain areas.

Administration costs must eventually be reduced by 50 percent, and transportation, special education and building operations and maintenance by 5 percent each.

“We are the cheapest solution there is, we give you the best bang for your buck,” said Wendy Bretton at the public hearing at Stevens Brook Elementary School the school board held to present the proposed 2008/09 budget.

Sherrie Weese, the district financial coordinator, said while educational technicians, formerly known as teaching assistants, do cost less to employ than teachers, they are not certified teachers and have a different job description.

“The state is requiring them to have certain qualifications, and thats why their jobs are being eliminated,” said Weese. She said there are different levels of certification of educational technicians.

Because the state is changing the rules so that only level two or higher educational technicians can work with special education students, the district is cutting the jobs of all the level one special education educational technicians.

The entire special education department is looking at a 13.9 percent reduction in budget, bringing the department’s budget down to $4.08 million, or one sixth of the entire district budget.

Scott and Stephanie Davis of Naples, who have an autistic song and said they have had problems with the special education department in the past, said they do not support cutting funding to the special education department.

“I think it’s going to be devastating for people like my son,” she said.

“They need to look at cutting administrators,” said Marie Dismore, one of the educational technicians slated to be lose her job. She works with special education students at Stevens Brook Elementary and said she enrolled at Andover College in Portland in anticipation of the cuts.

Superintendent Frank Gorham said he wasn’t surprised to see resistance to the proposed budget.

“It’s very difficult. They certainly want to support their colleagues,” said Gorham. “We just have to work through the budget and be responsible to the students, the tax payers and our board members.”

Gorham said the cuts approved by the school board total $979,000 in savings, leaving a budget of $25.4 million awaiting approval by voters this spring.

Weese said district employees had been anticipating the reduction is subsidy, which was caused by increases in property value of the host towns, and had lowered spending. She said the district will use $1 million from its balance forward account and the rest of the money will be filled in by the taxpayers.

However, rising costs in other departments only brought the total school budget down by $625,000. That means tax payers will have to pay $775,000 in additional taxes for the proposed budget.

Other cuts include eliminating four sixth-grade teaching positions and shortening the daily schedule of all educational technicians by 30 minutes.

“The positions are being cut, but not the teachers per say,” said Bonnie Wetmore, who teaches third-grade at Songo Locks Elementary School and is the union representative for SAD 61 teachers. She said teachers who were retiring or transferring to other districts may absorb the loss of four teaching positions.

The proposed plan calls for sixth-grade students to attend Lake Region Middle School next year, instead of Crooked River or Sebago elementary schools. Wetmore said this will eliminate three positions and declining enrollment will remove a fourth, and the teachers may be swapped to other jobs in the district.

Darlene Perry, president of the Lake Region Educational Support Personnel Association, spoke at the meeting while 23 of the educational technicians she represents stood silently in support.

“This is detrimental to the students,” said Perry. She said the teachers will have bigger workloads and the proposed workday shortening for the remaining educational technicians will reduce their salaries by 7 percent.

Perry was asked after the meeting where else the budget should be cut to make room for the budget reduction.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” she said. “I don’t have an answer, and that’s what’s so frustrating for me.” She said she feels Lisa Hanson, the district special education director, had difficult decisions to make and the budget cuts are hard on all departments.

The district administration budget for next year is proposed at $641,467, a 14.2 percent reduction from last year.

Gorham said the cuts include reducing the schedule of the assistant superintendent, lower insurance premiums bids, cuts in benefits, a less expensive telephone service, less advertisements for open district positions and interest expenses will be reduced by paying off debt on the central office and one of the portable classrooms.

Gorham said the district has also consolidated some positions. Andy Madura, for example, is the director of transportation, food service and operations and maintenance.

All departments would see a reduction in supplies and equipment.

The transportation department’s staff development day is slated for elimination. Bus driver salaries, insurance premiums and amount allotted for repairs would be reduced. Gorham also said a bus that was going to be replaced will be kept in service instead. The transportation budget is proposed at $1.6 million, a 2.4 percent reduction.

The Stevens Brook Elementary School will see a reduction in energy costs thanks to the installation of energy-saving light fixtures and bulbs and the capital improvement fund would be reduced for the maintenance department.

The facilities maintenance department budget is proposed at $3.1 million, a reduction of 5.4 percent.

Parent Chuck Black, who also coaches Lake Region Middle School alpine skiing and soccer, said he was glad to see the sports are not going to be cut in the budget.

“Sports are an equal part of education,” said Black.

School Board Chairman Dr. Brook Sulloway said that the sports programs had already received budget cuts in the last year.

Job cuts draw harsh response