BY MATT HERSH
A high school tuition deal between Salem and Windham has been reached, allowing Windham’s students to stay in Salem for the 2008-09 school year.
Superintendent Michael Delahanty said he and Pelham-Windham Superintendent Elaine Cutler recently formalized a one-year agreement.
The details of the agreement have not yet been disclosed but will be after the School Board votes to approve it later this month.
Though Windham has been moving toward constructing its own high school for several years, progress has been delayed multiple times.
Last school year, the number of Windham students at Salem High School hit an all-time high at 663.
Delahanty said he expects the number to decline over the next few years, citing enrollment projections.
The current agreement between the two towns is set to expire in June 2008. Salem receives $4.6 million per year from Windham.
When construction was delayed last September, the School Board voted to extend Windham’s stay for the 2008-09 school year but agreeing on a tuition amount has been a concern of school officials.
Delahanty said he was glad to finally complete the agreement, especially now that the new fiscal school year has begun.
“I’m pleased that it is behind us,” he said. “We needed to get an idea of what resources will will have to continue to provide for Windham students.”
Delahanty said this process involved looking at population trends and making sure the district would be able to adequately serve the incoming students.
Cutler officially retired at the end of last month, but will remain on duty for a brief time as an adviser to the district’s new superintendent.
Members of the School Board also were relieved to be finished with the agreement, since it has taken many hours of staff time.
“It made a lot of sense to try and get it done now,” said board member Peter Morgan. “It’s good that we finished it now rather than start negotiations again with a new superintendent.”
Morgan said the the board plans to sign the agreement at their next meeting on July 17. He doesn’t anticipate much discussion on the matter since the board has already reviewed the agreement.
“Unless (Windham) changed anything, I would say it is just a formality to sign it at this point,” he said.