The International Baccalaureate has drawn some critical opinions from residents as being extravagant and a Socialist program, and not suited for Bedford High School.

At the Feb. 3 deliberative session of the School District Meeting, some residents urged the School Board hold off on the International Baccalaureate program, or IB, program, which is a series of advanced courses similar to Advanced Placement.

“Given the state of the economy this seems like an extravagant program the school could live without,” said Ann Marie Banfield. “This is not the right time for luxury items when so many residents are dealing with financial concerns themselves.”

Banfield said some school districts are paying as much as $100,000 to $500,000 for a program that serves only a “few students.”

But Mayes said 55 percent of juniors in Bedford are taking at least one IB course, a trend that he expects will continue for seniors next year. The actual cost of the IB program to Bedford was $60,000 this year and, in the future, will range from $50,000 to $75,000 annually, said Mayes.

Banfield also said the School Board should avoid the IB program because it is politically controversial.

Devin Farrelly, another resident, said the program has a Socialist agenda.

“We don’t agree with the social agenda, the political agenda of the IB program,” she said.

But during the deliberative session, School Board member Bob Donahue said IB courses teach students how to be competitive in the global marketplace.

Donahue said he understands concerns about spending.

“I go to work every day, I open the newspaper, and I don’t know what I’m going to see. What bank is going to fail? What company is going to lay off 10,000 workers? You know, the seriousness of this is not lost on me one bit,” Donahue said.

He said students need IB courses even more because of the current financial crisis.

“We need to prepare our young people to go into a world where there’s much more international competition, where jobs are going to be scarce and we need to train these children as best we possibly can,” Donahue said.