By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

Epsom School District officials are debating cuts after voters gave them a default operating budget, as well as considering the future of Epsom Central School after a $6.8 million bond for improvements failed.

Officials met Thursday, March 17, to cut the budget by almost $250,000, said Epsom Central School Principal Jane Fargo.

The biggest budget cuts include eliminating a new primary teacher, eliminating the after-school tutorial, eliminating a bus for Pembroke Academy students, eliminating assemblies, eliminating field trips and cutting $20,000 in supplies, said Fargo.

"Certainly when you cut $20,000 out of your supply line, you can't make that up anywhere else," said Fargo.

Additionally, students will have to pay to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.

The library book budget was cut by 60 percent. Also eliminated were a tutor and a proposed special education case manager, said school board member Andrew Turnbull.

Eliminating the high school bus could have drawbacks.

"It's possible that cutting the bus will increase the chances that borderline high school students who don't have alternative means to get to school will simply drop out of school," said Turnbull.

A new primary teacher would have reduced the growing class sizes in the first and second grades. Smaller classrooms are better settings for early literacy, said Fargo.

"It affects the kids not to have field trips and assemblies," she said.

Both of those cost $7,000. After being in deficit during the current school year for unexpected expenses, making the budget cuts for the next school year put the school district even further behind, she said. However, voters approved raising $72,071 to pay for a deficit from unanticipated high school tuition and special education costs.

The next step is for school officials to decide what to do about the aging boiler and other improvements that would have been covered in a $6.8 million bond.

The project would have included eight new classrooms, a new cafeteria and kitchen, a new heating and ventilation system, an expanded music room, and expanded library space. Currently, two classes are held in a modular building.

The school board was advised that it would be possible to get another year out of the old boiler, said Turnbull.

"But at some point, and sooner than later, it will need to be replaced at a cost of around $50,000," he said. "With regard to the HVAC system, we have no choice but to live with its substandard performance," he said.

With the default budget, additional money can't be spent on the HVAC system.

"So some parts of the school will continue to be cold while other parts of the school will continue to open their windows during winter to keep from nodding off to sleep in the hot classrooms," Turnbull said.

Additional modulars are not needed right away, as the improvements were set to go online two years later, said Turnbull.

"In the meantime, we are going to have to squeeze as much out of our existing space as possible," he said. "Modulars are one solution, but they're a last resort for a few reasons. Their lifespan is considerably shorter than a bricks-and-mortar building."

The board will revisit the issue of its future space needs and reevaluate its next move, he said.

"We don't want to throw good money after bad," said Turnbull.

At the Wednesday, April 6, school board meeting, the board will decide what to do next with the building/space needs committee.

The meeting will be at 6 p'm. at Epsom Central School.