Pelham - Windham News 2 - July 29, 2011


Kids Get ‘Fired’ Up for Windham Summer Recreation Programs


An excited Connor Sullivan (far right) and his friends paint pottery at the Windham Town Hall


Kiley Coco, 2, concentrates on her painting Austin Mulrenan, 5, is pleased with his finished bowl


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by Barbara O’Brien Windham school officials have been fearing the effects of the proposed State budget on local coffers for months now. On June 29, those fears were realized when the new budget became law, albeit without the signature of Governor John Lynch. “It’s been a long and convoluted process,” SAU 28 Business Administrator Adam Steel told Windham School Board members on July 19. “The impact is statewide,” he added. As for Windham, the worst-case scenario appears to be an approximate loss of slightly less than $700,000 in previously anticipated revenue. “We need to accommodate these gaps in revenue based on our best judgment,” Interim Superintendent Henry LaBranche said, pointing out that the final numbers might not be known for another six months or so. Any cuts made in the 2011-2012 Windham School District Budget, one that was approved by voters this past March, will be made on “a priority basis,” LaBranche explained. The major impact on local districts pertains to the State Employee Retirement system, to which, historically, contributions have been made by employees, employers, and the State of New Hampshire. It was anticipated, when the local budgets were originally formulated, that school districts would be contributing 9.07 percent of a teacher’s annual salary to the retirement fund. That all changed, however, with the passage of the new State budget. School districts are now expected to contribute 13.95 percent of teachers’ annual salaries, while the State will be contributing nothing. Previously, the State was slated to contribute 4.88 percent to the retirement system. Teachers will be paying more as well, with their contribution to the retirement system increasing by 2 percent, effective July 1, 2011.


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Although the State will no longer be contributing a percentage of salaries to the State Retirement System, a lump sum of $3.5 million will be contributed this year— money to be distributed statewide. “All responsibility is now falling on the


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local school districts,” Steel said. “We are now permanently on our own.” “The only way to come up with the additional money ($700,000) for retirement is to cutback elsewhere,” Steel stated. Windham School Board Vice Chairman


Bruce Anderson asked if the Windham School District has to participate in the State Retirement System. “Can we invest elsewhere?” Anderson wanted to know. “Participation is still mandatory at this point,” Dr. LaBranche replied. And “the state is very vigilant” in overseeing the system, he said. Steel noted, however, that New Hampshire still has one of the healthiest State retirement plans in the entire country. The loss of anticipated incoming revenue “is going to


have an educational impact,” Steel told School Board members. “There’s no way of getting around it, at this point.” After extensive discussion of where cuts could or should be made, school administrators came up with the following list of priorities, a ranking that Steel said they had labored over for weeks and were continuing to fine- tune. The following are listed in the order in which they would be cut based on priority. Number one would be the first to be cut, while number 10 would be the last to be removed. All priorities are being cut from the budget on a one-year basis only, at least at this point: 1. Half-time custodian for Windham High School (new position to have started July 1, 2011)


2. Full-time custodian for Golden Brook Elementary School (open position not to be filled)


3. District-wide custodian (open position not to be filled)


4. District psychologist (currently three days per week, to have gone to full-time position)


5. Full-time Family/Consumer Science position at Windham High School (remain at part-time)


6. Eliminate Library Assistant at Windham Middle School (resulting in closure of library when media generalist is not available)


7. $100,000 in cuts for technology upgrades at elementary and middle schools


8. Eliminate eighth-grade Language Arts position (job open due to retirement; elimination of position will increase class sizes from 21 to 22 students up to 25 to 26 students


9. Eliminate Special Education Case Manager at high school (new position; there will still be one remaining case manager at Windham High School)


10. Eliminate the Band and Orchestra Programs at Center School for one year (band and orchestra teacher will be relocated to Windham Middle School; Center School will still have a General Music program for all students).


In response to concerns expressed by those in attendance at the meeting, Dr. LaBranche said, “It’s all about priorities, ladies and gentlemen.” LaBranche emphasized, however, that administrators would continue to look for ways in which to avoid losing jobs and programs, even for one year. It is anticipated that a final list of reductions will be presented to the Windham School Board during its Tuesday, August 9 meeting.


by Sarah Cotton With record-breaking temperatures over 100 degrees this past Friday, local residents opted to skip the beach and get their creative juices flowing instead, painting pottery at the Windham Town Hall. The event was just one of the many summer programs offered by Windham’s Recreation Department. Upstairs in a refreshingly cool room, about 20 kids and their parents covered white clay bowls with stripes and swirls of color, excitedly chatting about the treats their bowls would hold when finished. Time to Clay, a “paint your own pottery” studio in Nashua, sponsored the event and provided the bowls, brushes, and paint for two sessions of kids during the day. The studio’s owner, Debbi Grimard, floated around the room, offering the kids painting advice (such as “apply several coats so the colors will be more vivid and uniform”) and praise. Her program is not new to Windham summer recreation, and Grimard enjoys organizing these “out programs” for schools and summer camps. “It’s a great in-house field trip,” said Grimard, “so the camps and schools don’t have to worry about finding buses or transportation for their kids.” The event has been a success in


years past and continues to grow, with new faces as well as some veteran painters. “I’ve been to one of these camps before,” said a smiling Katie Booermeester. “Last summer, we made mugs instead of bowls. I like it because you can do whatever you want, whatever design. I’m making one for me and one for my family.” After they were finished painting and had signed


Te painted bowls are set aside to dry


their names on the bottom of the bowl, Grimard took the pieces back to the studio, where her staff will glaze and fire them. In two weeks, they can be picked up at the Town Hall, brought home, and filled with some nice, cold ice cream.


Cheryl Haas, Windham’s recreation department coordinator, is happy to hold this program every year, but she also organizes many other great summer activities, including puppet shows, science workshops, and games at the Town Beach. She is excited about a new program this year, T-Shirt Tie Dye, which will be happening on August 18. These summer programs are fun and creative ways to get kids and families involved in the town, and Haas sees them gain interest and popularity with each coming year. Registration is required for most of these programs; forms can be filled out at the Recreation Office daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. While priority is given to town residents, non-residents can attend if space allows. Most of the programs are self-funded, as the fee to participate in any given event is determined by the cost of materials. However, some of the events are free, such as the upcoming performance of “Strega Nona” at the Windham Town Beach on August 1. The family-oriented activities will continue through the middle of


August, and it is not too late to join the fun. For more details, contact the Recreation Department at 965-1208.


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