By Darrell Halen
This year’s Windham School District warrant includes several articles to
provide money to Windham High School, which will open in 2009.
Those articles, and others, will be the subject of discussion and debate when
voters attend the school district’s Friday, Feb. 8, deliberative session.
The session starts at 7 p.m. and will be held at Golden Brook School.
A majority of the School Board is supporting three bond articles to boost athletic
facilities at Windham High: $3,819,980 for a multipurpose sports center; $900,000
for a second gymnasium and $778,500 for three additional athletic fields.
Each bond article requires a 60 percent majority when voters go to the polls
on Tuesday, March 11.
State Rep. Charles McMahon has submitted a $1.25 million warrant article by citizen
petition to construct a second access road for the high school.
The new road would be built over the area of the former London Bridge Road from
the high school to Castlehill Road.
Selectmen had proposed their own warrant article to build the new road but later
withdrew it. McMahon has said that by having the construction proposal on the
school district ballot, the project would qualify for 30 percent aid from the
state.
The School Board may recommend that wording of McMahon’s article be changed
at the deliberative session, but supports its intent.
To accommodate additional athletic facilities, the School Board is asking voters
to accept the transfer of 16 acres of recreation and conservation land from the
town. The district intends to transfer 40 acres of its land to the town in return.
Voters will be asked to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement
between the School Board and the Windham Education Association that calls for
increases in salaries and benefits of $484,060 in 2008-09, $507,620 in 2009-10,
and $483,618 in 2010-11.
The warrant includes these other articles:
• Add $286,082 to a capital reserve fund to fund repairs, replacements or
additions to the driveway, parking lot or a new parking area at the middle school.
• Add $100,000 in surplus money to the school buildings and grounds maintenance
fund. The maximum amount of money to be put in the fund, created last year, is
$200,000 and would be replenished in future years. The fund’s purpose is
to cover unexpected repairs and replacements.
• $95,000 for salary and benefits to add an assistant principal at Golden
Brook School. The student population is approaching 500 students, the state’s
suggested threshold for adding an assistant principal
• $65,000 to add a Spanish teacher at the middle school. This increases
academic time for students and allows students entering high school to start
at a higher level in the subject.
• Create a committee to study whether Windham should withdraw from SAU 28,
which also includes the Pelham School District.
“Both towns have been experiencing, over the past 10 years, an amazing
amount of growth,” said School Board member Beverly Donovan at public hearing
on the budget.
Two other warrant articles by citizen petition will appear on the warrant.
One would change the terms of the school district’s clerk, moderator and
treasurer from one year to three years beginning with the 2009 elections. It
is recommended by the School Board.
The other, submitted by Jim Curtin, would designate green, gold and white as
the officials colors of Windham High School, and the wildcat as the school’s
official mascot. The School Board opposes it.
The School Board has already adopted the jaguar as the mascot, and navy blue,
metallic gold, and green as an accent color as the official colors, according
to School Board member Barbara Coish.
The School Board is recommending a 2008-09 school district operating budget of
$34,453,396. If the budget is turned down by voters in March, officials will
have to spend within a default budget, the previous budget with certain adjustments,
of $34,185,643.
The new budget includes money for eight positions at the high school, an increase
of $719,847 for Salem High School tuition, a $169,515 debt service increase for
outstanding bonds, more money to keep pace with rising fuel and electricity costs,
$85,062 more in transportation accounts, and more money for special education,
an area that accounted for 27 percent of the budget’s increase.