The Westbrook School Committee approved approximately $374,000 in cuts last Wednesday night, despite calls from parents and school employees to spend more state money.

The cuts eliminated one full-time teaching position at the high school, volunteer coordinator positions at the elementary and junior high schools, several educational technician positions, and two administrative positions. In addition, the committee approved a plan to reorganize operations in the superintendent’s office by reducing the number of senior level administrators from four to three.

The new cuts bring the total overall proposed school budget for the upcoming year to approximately $26.8 million, a 4.3 percent increase over last year’s total school budget of $25.5 million.

The School Committee approved the budget reduction despite the many parents and school committee employees who came to the meeting to speak out against any cuts to education spending. Those who spoke criticized Mayor Bruce Chuluda’s directive to flat-fund the city and school budgets and called on the School Committee to spend all of a $2.1 million state funding increase on the schools.

The Westbrook School Department received an additional $2.1 million from the state this year as the result of a new state law passed to provide property tax relief.

About 60 school supporters packed the School Committee meeting. The crowd applauded enthusiastically after each of six speakers called on the School Committee to spend the money.

Leland Arris, president of the Westbrook Education Association, called Chuluda’s flat-funded budget proposal “a no-more-money-for-Westbrook-schools budget.” He said he believes the move to flat-fund the school budget is contrary to the wishes of Westbrook residents.

“There is no groundswell of community voices supporting cuts to public education,” Arris said. “The mayor has made a promise to some people to reduce the tax rate even at the expense of the schools. Don’t support these cuts, insist the (additional state money) be spent on education.”

Westbrook Education Association Vice President Peter Littlejohn said that he supported Sawyer’s budget proposal. “(School Superintendent Stan) Sawyer is a budget-conscious administrator,” he said.

Littlejohn echoed Arris’ call that the additional state money be used for the schools rather than tax relief. “This money has been earmarked for education,” he said.

Sally Plourde, a teacher at Prides Corner School and a Westbrook resident, also urged the committee to spend the extra state money for educational purposes.

“The state had an intent,” she said. “Their intent was to help schools. Their intent was to give us money that is well needed. I believe it’s very unfair to give (this money) over to the other side of the city.”

The only person to speak out in favor of using the extra state money for tax relief was Ray Richardson of Graham Road.

Richardson, a local political activist who has been a critic of the schools in the past, pointed out that on Sept. 13 of last year, the City Council voted unanimously to use 100 percent of any additional money received from the state for property tax relief, a resolve that was endorsed by Sawyer at the time.

Richardson said he has had conversations with Maine Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron and he said Gendron told him that the extra state money should be available for local property tax relief.

“I believe the people of Westbrook voted for and deserve tax relief,” Richardson said. “The Legislature said very clearly that 90 percent of the money is to be made available for tax relief, so I hope that will be honored. I hope you will think about the pledge Mr. Sawyer and the City Council made on Sept. 13.”

State Rep. Tim Driscoll, D-Westbrook, a former School Committee member until his election to the Legislature last November, said he was a big supporter of Westbrook schools. “I feel education is a very important part of what makes a community what it is,” he said.

As for the additional state money, Driscoll said that he felt that the School Committee should do what it feels is necessary with that money to maintain the quality of education in the city.

Once the committee finished hearing from the public, they continued their budget debate, making several cuts and adjustments.

One of the larger programs to survive the budget process is a proposal to start an all-day kindergarten program next year. Sawyer said about 58 percent of school districts in Maine had an all-day kindergarten program, and he endorsed the idea of introducing it to Westbrook.

“This is something I fully support,” he said.

Committee Vice Chairman Mary Hall also said she was in favor of all-day kindergarten. “I strongly support this,” she said. “I know it’s a high cost, but I’m looking at the educational needs of the students.”

The $133,000 budgeted for the program was briefly discussed by the committee, and while committee member Don Perkins indicated he would prefer to delay a final decision on this program to see what other cuts were made by the committee, his motion to table the item failed.

After that motion failed, no member of the committee came forward with a motion to remove the program from the budget, and as a result, the money for the program remains in the budget.

While electing to keep the money for all-day kindergarten in the budget, the committee approved several cuts that were proposed by Sawyer prior to the meeting.

The cuts included eliminating the position of curriculum director, while creating a half-time curriculum facilitator position; eliminating five volunteer coordinator positions; eliminating four computer educational technician positions from the elementary schools, replacing them with two computer education teachers; eliminating a system-wide educational technician position; a math teacher at Westbrook High School; one administrative position at the central office and a half-time secretarial position at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.

In addition, the committee voted unanimously to approve Sawyer’s plan to change the duties of the director of art and gifted talented student coordinator and director of music from full-time administrators to part-time administrators and part-time teachers. Under this plan, the art director would teach classes two days per week and the music director would teach two and a half days per week.

Before taking a final vote on the proposed 2005-2006 school budget, the School Committee will hold a public hearing tonight (May 18) at 7 p.m. in room 114 at Westbrook High School. Following the public hearing, the committee is expected to vote on the sending the school budget on to the City Council for final approval.

While the City Council has not formally received the budget from the School Committee, the council’s Finance Committee has scheduled its hearing regarding the school budget for May 23. That meeting will be held in room 114 of Westbrook High School at 7 p.m.