Lanesborough Considering Additional Kindergarten Class
 Principal Ellen Boshe was given flowers and a certificate of appreciation from the School Committee on Thursday. She is retiring and her last day is on June 30. |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The first decision the new School Committee faces will be what to do with the kindergarten class.
Principal Ellen Boshe said she was concerned with the size of the kindergarten class and that any additions during the summer could pose a problem. She is asking the School Committee to break the one class of 25 students into two.
"That's huge," Boshe said of the class. "I'm really concerned with the kindergarten at 25 ... my recommendation would be to split that into two."
Right now, there is only one section in kindergarten, first grade, and fifth grade. The other single sections are at 15 for first grade and 21 in fifth grade. There are two sections in second, with 30 students; third, with 28 students; fourth, with 33 students, and fifth with 21 students.
With an additional class comes additional teachers, meaning the School Committee would have to find funds to cover that cost.
Lanesborough Elementary will have many new faces in administrative roles. On Thursday, PJ Pannesco and Sheila Hebert took their newly elected seats on the School Committee. They replace Jim Moriarty and Robert Barton. In the reorganization, the only remaining member from the last School Committee, Regina DiLego, was elected to remain as chairman. Hebert is now vice chairman and Pannesco is the secretary.
Boshe attended her final meeting Thursday. She is retiring and her last day is on June 30. Martin J. McEvoy Jr. will take over that job on July 1.
"I couldn't think of a better place to end my educational career," Boshe said, after DiLego presented her with a certificate of appreciation and flowers to recognize her work.
Interim Superintendent Gordon Noseworthy is also leaving and is being replaced by Douglas Dias. Business Manager Lynn Bassett attended her final meeting as she is retiring as well. Nancy Rauscher will take her job.
Thursday's meeting served as mostly an introduction to the issues for Hebert and Pannesco, as DiLego speedily briefed them on a number of issues. The new committee did, however, realign the budget to reflect the increase of $25,000 voted by town meeting.
"We took the $25,000, after everything at the public hearing, and put it back into the technology line of the appropriated budget," DiLego said.
At the public hearing for the budget, Barton and Moriarty voted in favor of reducing the proposed budget by $60,000 - for a total of a $182,000 reduction — and the town agreed to increase their reserve account just in case. At town meeting, however, residents said if that money, which would have then been under the town's Finance Committee's control, is intended to back up the school, then it should be in the school's budget.
Before town meeting, the School Committee had adjusted the budget to reflect the appropriated amount being asked. It used money in the school choice line — which is unappropriated — in a few spots, including putting $30,000 in the contingency line. Now, the committee somewhat reversed that by taking the money that was moved from school choice to technology over to the contingency in the non-appropriated portion of the budget. That contingency is now at $55,000. The $25,000 added to the appropriated budget now funds the technology line, which was moved back to the other side of the ledger.
The total appropriated budget is now at $2,424,710, which reflects the $25,000 increase.
The school choice enrollment is still lower than previously anticipated and hasn't changed since the last School Committee hearing. The committee had opened 10 spots to school choice. So far, only four students enrolled. The school just graduated four choice students, so the total number will not chang. In budgeting, Bassett anticipated six spots would be filled.
Tags: kindergarten, LES, retirement,
