By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

 Cape Elizabeth Superintendent Alan Hawkins may have to fund the rest of the school year with nearly $553,000 less than he would have liked. The 5.3 percent increased school budget approved by voters Sept. 2 was more than $130,000 less than his proposed $19.9 million budget, and is now being subjected to an approximate $421,500 shortfall in state General Purpose Aid (GPA) funding announced by the Department of Education last week.

“We heard it would probably be around 10 percent [of the total state funding for Cape Elizabeth],” Hawkins said. “I was figuring $300,000, which wouldn’t have been easy to deal with either.”

 The reduction is approximately 13.7 percent of Cape Elizabeth’s total state funding and nearly 2.5 percent of the town’s total school budget. Hawkins said he is now “in a holding pattern” until the legislature makes their decision on the $27 million state-wide curtailment. Cape Elizabeth ranked near Falmouth, which could lose approximately $473,000, and above Yarmouth where a nearly $340,000 reduction is proposed. 

South Portland could be facing an $874,000 reduction, topped only by Portland, where the proposed curtailment would create a $1.8 million gap in GPA funding. South Portland Superintendent Suzanne Godin said she has initiated a “budget freeze” in anticipation of the curtailment being approved by the legislature and the governor.

“We look at every expenditure,” she said.

“We ran everybody the same way, there’s just less money in some places,” Maine Department of Education Director of Communications David Connerty-Marin said of the curtailment distribution amongst municipalities. “It’s affecting all districts.”

Godin said several positions included in the $42 million school budget narrowly approved by voters in May, including an education technician, a special education teacher and a custodial position were now deemed “not critical” and would not be filled prior to the end of the school year. Godin said students would most directly be affected by the curtailment by not taking as many field trips as they have in years past, although some extracurricular programs can obtain funding elsewhere. 

“Some [programs] are heavily supported by the [Parent Teacher Association],” she said.

The $874,000 reduction accounts for more than 20 percent of South Portland’s total state funding and is less than 2.5 percent of South Portland’s total school budget. Combined with a $550,000 reduction in total state funding announced earlier this year, Godin now has approximately $1.4 million less combined state aid than the city received last year.

“We’re tightening our belts,” she said. 

Even with the reduction in state funding, Godin and the school board managed to establish South Portland Adult Educational Programs this year – a $20,000 budget item program coordinator Jody Meredith said is making a difference in the community.

“South Portland is the fourth largest city in the state and it’s gone without an adult education program for how long?” she asked. “It’s been needed.”

Currently 47 students are registered for the program, Meredith said she expects 40 to finish this semester. She said similar programs in Portland, offering courses in English as a second language, computer, math and writing skills, have waiting lists months long before students can attend courses. 

“There are certainly people who don’t look at school fondly, but when you’re older and doing it of your own choice it can be a totally different experience,” she said.

Godin said she was not considering cutting any staff or programs, such as the adult educational program which was expected to have 75 students enrolled this year.

“Nothing’s being eliminated,” Godin said. “We haven’t gone to that place yet.”

According to the Department of Education, the proposed curtailment will be addressed by the legislature this month, after which another $27 million reduction could be proposed for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal year.