WASHBURN, Maine — A topic of discussion the SAD 45 school board has been dealing with since last year came up again at this month’s board meeting: the proposal to move the Washburn seventh- and eighth-graders over to the Washburn high school.
Parents of soon to be seventh- and eighth-graders showed their concern at the Feb. 10 meeting during public comment. Kolbie Churchill, whose son will be entering seventh-grade this year, is concerned of the difference in maturity level between the high school students and their junior high peers.
“You wouldn’t put a first-grader in with a sixth-grader. Maturity level is a little different and I just think there should be a few more years for them to mature,” Churchill said.
When asked if another vote will take place concerning the move, board member Michael McIntosh made it clear the change is not a done deal.
“We did vote on this last summer and it was a tie vote and it did not pass. All speculation that it’s a done deal I think is being a little bit premature. At this point, obviously it would be nice to decide early enough so they could do the scheduling for next year,” McIntosh said.
According to the board, the potential move is an effort to save money due to current budget constraints and the fact that schools in the state of Maine will be flat funded for the next two years due to Governor LePage’s recent budget plan.
Superintendent Ed Buckley presented the board with his concerns over class sizes and schedules and insisted that class sizes must increase in order to save money or else cuts in staff may have to take place.
“How can we change this? One thing is if we move the seventh and eighth grades over,” Buckley said.
Local parent Kaylie Cunningham voiced her concerns she has for her daughter during a phone interview,
“My daughter is going to be in seventh grade next year and I just don’t think it’s a good idea she should be going to school with the older boys. I don’t think they’re ready for high school at that point.”
McIntosh says any policy changes have to be voted on by the full board of directors, and the move isn’t something the administration can just carry out.
“All the various factors are being considered. The board will weigh all the factors and vote as each board member thinks best for the kids,” McIntosh said.
The move may come up for another round of voting in either March or April before the budget period in June, according McIntosh.
