ORFORD — Officials in the Rivendell Interstate School District are debating whether to propose staff cuts, including the elimination of at least one teaching post, to head off a possible $650,000 spending increase projected for the next school year.
The proposal comes as Rivendell has seen a 4.5% drop in enrollment, in part from homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a budget forum last week, Superintendent Barrett Williams said that if the School Board takes no action, fixed costs could drive the district’s 2021-2022 budget up by about 5.7%.
To prevent voters from facing that number at Town Meeting in March, he’s proposed two plans, both of which would trim staff and services.
A nearly $11.7 million operating budget — a 2.5% increase over Rivendell’s current $11.4 million budget — would result in the layoff of at least one elementary school teacher, he said during the hour-long online forum on Tuesday.
That spending plan also would eliminate one full-time food service position, and English as a second language and driver’s education classes would be pared back at Rivendell Academy.
Summer and after-school programs would be cut, as well, and Williams along with other district administrators could see a reduction in their hours and pay.
Another option is an $11.9 million budget, or a 4.8% increase, that would fund the after-school and summer programs while also creating a new special education program that could draw students and tuition from neighboring districts.
While such a program would cost more, Williams said, it also could save Rivendell on expensive out-of-district placements, which typically cost a minimum of $40,000 per student.
“Special education costs continue to rise,” he said. “I would project that it’s going to continue to increase over the next two to three years.”
Williams predicted that if four to five students from other schools attend the Rivendell program, the district could recoup its costs.
But Fairlee resident Simon Holdaway asked why voters in Rivendell’s four towns — Orford, Fairlee, West Fairlee and Vershire — should assume the risk of starting the special education program.
He pointed out that the School Board last year urged passage of the current budget in part to pay off a $400,000 deficit attributed to maintenance costs and past accounting mistakes.
“Why should the voters of RISD trust the board and administration to run these free-market programs in a profitable or revenue-neutral fashion?” Holdaway asked.
Rivendell Academy Principal Keri Gelenian responded that even if the special education program doesn’t benefit taxpayers, it would greatly help students who would be able to forgo long drives and deal with teachers they’re unfamiliar with.
“I think the families feel that the students aren’t going someplace else. They’re going to be on our campuses and they’re going to still be connected with us,” he said. “We know those kids and we’re going to be pulling for them.”
Other residents asked what role enrollment played in the upcoming budget.
Williams said that, as of December, there were 443 students attending Rivendell Academy, Samuel Morey Elementary and Westshire Elementary. That’s down 21 students from the same time last year.
The superintendent said he expects that some children who are homeschooling or in private schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic will come back next year. He added that maintaining services, such as the summer and after-school programs, could help draw new families to the district.
The School Board ultimately decided to hold off approving a budget figure on Tuesday, instead opting to await preliminary tax rate projections. However, it’s likely that whatever spending plan they pick will face some opposition.
Rivendell district voters last year rejected the first proposed budget before approving the spending plan for the 2020-21 school year on a 583-538 vote in July.
Rivendell Education Association President Barbara Griffin said Wednesday she and a group of teachers met with Williams to express their concerns about the possible elementary school staffing cut.
Griffin worries that the reduction would force two grades to merge, increasing anxiety and making it more difficult for students to receive individualized learning during already trying times.
“I think (COVID-19) has really changed our progression in terms of learning,” she said. “Throughout the country, we’re seeing this.”
Griffin went on to wonder what the cut might do for morale and the district’s ability to retain staff, although she did credit Williams for “outside the box thinking” in proposing the new special education program.
The School Board’s next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3. Information to access the meeting online is at Rivendellschool.org.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-72 7-3223.