The Montville Board of Education has voted not to renew the contracts of seven non-tenured teachers for the coming school year.
“It’s distasteful to be sure, what we have to do tonight,” Chairman David said during Tuesday's meeting. “It’s based on budgetary matters only; not on individual performance.”
He read down the list of seven teachers facing job elimination, stating each time that the teacher's contract would not be renewed and that each would receive written notice. The board voted unanimously in favor of eliminating each teacher.
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After the votes, Superintendent Pamela Aubin spoke, describing the cuts as “regrettable.”
“We just need to prepare this to be in compliance with general statutes,” Aubin said.
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The budget submitted by the school board earlier had not included the cuts, however, whether that budget will meet approval by the mayor, Board of Finance and town council remains in question. Overall, the 2011-2012 budget that the school board proposed calls for a 1.43 percent increase over this year’s.
“Our fingers are crossed that we get 1.43 percent” Rowley said after the meeting. Even if the schools budget is approved, it might not be easy to rehire those seven teachers, he indicated, because they might choose to seek jobs elsewhere.
Other Business
With March being Connecticut’s School Board Appreciation Month, the side table was loaded with cake and punch. Several members of the Board of Education praised the work they had done with the schools, calling them the best in the region.
“It doesn’t pay much, but the group of us get a lot of enjoyment out of it,” said Rowley.
Before the cake, Montville High School student Ashley Sgandurra, who won the school’s poetry contest, recited a piece that she would be reading at the “Poetry Out Loud” state championship.
Those attending learned that the number of students in Advanced Placement courses increased from 57 to 80 in one year.
The board approved a field trip for Spanish Students going to Barcelona—this year’s group is going to Peru.
“We’re coming down the home stretch of CAPT and CMT,” said Assistant Superintendent Brian Levesque. Some students now have the option of taking the tests at a computer terminal if they had missed one of the tests due to illness. Some students have been unable to finish testing because they fainted due to anxiety.
The board also discussed changing demographics in Montville, including a smaller incoming kindergarten class and what the fact of fewer Montville students could mean for the schools. Aubin said she was in favor of having the schools offer a diverse range of positions, noting competition from magnet and charter schools.
Losing Montville students could mean paying their expenses at these schools, including expenses. As an alternative, Aubin saw Montville schools taking in students from neighboring districts such as Sprague and getting paid reimbursements from those towns.
“We need to position ourselves correctly and be creative,” Aubin said.
Given the opportunity, no citizens spoke before the board.
