The Marshwood School District hopes to lease a wheelchair-accessible bus for $12,500, according to the proposed transportation budget for next year.
The small school bus, a Minotour, would allow more flexibility in the district’s transportation program, especially for students in the pre-K program, Superintendent John Caverly told the school board at a recent budget workshop.
“It will be better for the special needs kids too,” Caverly said, noting that all children “want to ride the same bus as their peers.”
The 14-seat vehicle, equipped with standard school bus safety features, does not require a driver with a commercial driver’s license, which is helpful given the scarcity of CDL-certified drivers locally and nationwide, he added.
The total proposed transportation budget of $2,390,389 was reviewed April 2 in the first of three workshops on the proposed budget. Board members also examined proposed budgets for the elementary schools.
The proposed budget for Central School is $4,002,940, an increase of 6.2% over this year’s $3,770,049; Eliot Elementary’s spending plan decreased 1.7% from $3,057,865 to $3,004,498; and the Great Works School budget increased 4.6% to $2,966,245 from $2,836,759.
The remainder of the budget will be reviewed at workshops scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. April 16 and April 30 at Marshwood High School. The public is welcome to attend, said Caverly, but no comments will be taken. Three people attended the April 2 budget workshop held before the regular board meeting.
After the April 30 budget workshop, directors will vote on a final budget package to send to voters at the district budget meeting 6 p.m. May 12 at Marshwood High School; at that time voters will be able to ask questions and offer comments. The final budget validation referendum vote will be conducted by secret ballot June 10 in member communities South Berwick and Eliot.
During public comments at the April 2 board meeting, South Berwick resident Paul Steinhauer presented a list of 11 actions he suggested would improve the district budget meeting process. Among his ideas were appointing a non-district person as moderator; having town clerks on hand throughout the meeting to check in late-arriving voters; using paper ballots instead of raised hands for votes on every article, for anonymity; and enlisting a police presence for the safety of attendees.
For the second time in a month there was an unusually large number of attendees at the board meeting – the usual number being zero, according to board members. About 30 residents from South Berwick and Eliot were in attendance.
Most of the nine people who spoke expressed support for current school policies regarding inclusion. One parent from Eliot said her two children with special needs have thrived because of the welcoming atmosphere at Eliot Elementary. Other parents offered similar comments in support of district teachers.
