WESTBROOK – Perceptible signs of a rocky relationship between Westbrook city and school officials emerged Monday during a joint meeting of the School Committee and City Council, called to discuss the results of a school enrollment study and what it could signal for facilities already at capacity.

The discussion, meant to convey the need for some type of school expansion in the next five years, spiraled into spats over selling the former Prides Corner Elementary School property, and a shared financial software system.

According to a $2,700 study completed by Portland-based Planning Decisions, by 2024, district enrollment could reach more than 3,000. Westbrook’s enrollment as of Sept. 26 is about 2,538.

Peter Lancia, the school department’s curriculum director, said that much of the change in Westbrook’s schools comes from evolving programming needs for students with a range of abilities, including an English Language Learner population that has doubled since 2011.

Westbrook now has the third highest population of ELL students in the state, behind Lewiston and Portland.

While some city officials questioned the reasoning of the enrollment study’s projections, school officials said current needs dictate smaller class sizes for certain programs, stretching buildings thin.

“The special needs of our students now are different than they were in the ’90s,” said School Committee member Suzanne Salisbury, referencing state mandates for smaller classrooms.

“All of our schools, K-8, are at capacity and some over capacity,” Lancia said, adding that at Saccarappa Elementary School, a portable classroom was added last year.

Westbrook Middle School Principal Matt Nelson said some teachers at the school cart materials from classroom to classroom due to a lack of permanent space for them.

Mayor Colleen Hilton, referencing projections from the previous 10 years, said she believes that “some of the forecasts are aggressive, based on what we’re seeing in development.”

Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse responded that the school system met or exceeded previous projections, and also saw “unexpected growth” from ELL populations and a boost in kindergarten enrollments during the last two years.

“If we have to add classes, we have no space to do that,” he said. “We are at capacity, but no one here is pushing the panic button.”

Gousse added that any process in finding more space for students would look at more portables, amending schedules and other options, prior to asking taxpayers to fund a renovation or expansion project.

As part of a reconfiguration of the school district in 2012, the school department closed Prides Corner Elementary, a K-2 school, and moved fifth-graders into Westbrook Middle School.

City Councilor Mike Foley questioned school officials on their original decision on Prides Corner school, especially the determination that the department would not need the school property again in the future.

“You informed the community that the facility wasn’t necessary and wouldn’t be necessary anytime soon,” he said. “It’s a concern of mine, because I think the community is going to feel like we sold them a bill of goods as far as the disposal of that facility.”

“I wish I had a crystal ball, but I stand by my recommendation,” said Gousse. “We felt at the time, based on enrollments, that we had at least a five to six year window.”

At the time, it was estimated that the school would have required some $2 million to renovate, and Councilor Mike Sanphy suggested that the city hold onto the property for possible reuse or renovation down the road.

Foley asked school officials if they’d be willing to utilize portions of the superintendent’s office for programming, or create a shared superintendent’s office at City Hall.

“I don’t think anything is off the table,” Gousse said.

“I would suggest that before we consider expansion of facilities, we exhaust all these other options,” Foley said.

Monday marked the first joint meeting since budget discussions in early 2014, when the City Council originally rejected the 2014-15 school budget. Following eventual approval, the school department vowed to hold monthly joint meetings, but none had been held until Monday.

“We need to do a better job of collaborating, and working together in some of the areas that we can,” Hilton said.

Foley expressed frustration over not only the lack of communication between the two sides, but also for discussion that had not taken place about financial software. Beginning with the 2015-16 budget, the city will use what’s known as MUNIS financial software, and officials believe a shared system would create an easier and more unified budget process.

“There was a commitment to more joint meetings, and I don’t know why those have failed to happen,” said Foley. “That’s a significant concern of mine. The administration also suggested we discuss shared financial software this evening, and we were denied the ability to discuss that.”

“This is the first meeting, and we hope to have a meeting every month,” said Jim Violette, chairman of the School Committee. “I didn’t want to have two huge issues to discuss at one meeting.”

Foley said discussions on the shared software have to occur now, given a long preparation process for developing the system.

“The school’s unwillingness to participate in that development has become a challenge,” he said.

The School Committee’s finance committee meeting Wednesday, Oct. 1, was scheduled to discuss the financial software. As of Wednesday, councilors Foley, Victor Chau and Westbrook Comptroller Alicia Gardiner are attending to give a presentation on the MUNIS system.

Gousse said Tuesday that there “is some energy surrounding the financial software,” and that the finance committee had previously discussed it, leaning toward staying with the current system, known as ADS ProFund.

Gousse said some 90 percent of school systems in the state use ProFund, and that the school department “never committed” to migrating to the city’s new system.

In an email sent to school officials Wednesday, Gardiner said that after the school department decided to move away from the shared finance department model in 2013, the city expressed interest in moving to a shared operating system, “which would promote a different type of continued collaboration and data sharing.”

Gardiner said that as part of the FY 2014 Capital Improvement Program, “the City Council set aside $95,000 toward the implementation of a shared operating system” for the city and school department.