Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities And Enrollment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Principals outline facilities needs, class-size concerns as district readies new building
Summary
School principals reported that staffing and insurance are the largest budget drivers, described heating and plumbing fixes, classroom crowding at Young School, and outlined capital maintenance priorities (gym floor, front-door canopy) ahead of the district's new-school transition.
Principals from Fairfield, Young, Burns and Saco Middle updated the board on building-level budget priorities and facility needs as the district prepares for a new pre‑K–5 building.
Wendy LeBlanc (Fairfield) and Jeff Mears (Young) described the principal-led budgeting process, noting teachers compile supply requests starting in October and principals prioritize needs to preserve equity across K–2 buildings. Mears said salaries and insurance make up the large majority of school-level budgets. He told the board Young School will hire an additional second‑grade teacher because class sizes have grown, and that administrators are monitoring kindergarten enrollments that could affect future staffing and space decisions.
Burns principal April Noble thanked the facilities team for resolving long‑standing heating and plumbing problems and said the budget changes for Burns were minimal outside of salary and benefits. Saco Middle School principal Marie Susie said the school added funds for eighth‑grade promotion and to purchase a high‑jump mat for track and field activities.
Administrators described a series of capital and maintenance priorities for the coming months: replacing carpeting in high‑wear areas, addressing moisture in the Fairfield slab, refinishing gym flooring, and evaluating front‑door and vestibule upgrades at Saco Middle to improve security and student pick‑up. The district also plans to build a garage for storage to support athletic equipment and new high‑jump mat storage.
Superintendent Ray said the digital sign at SMS is installed and awaiting electrical hookup; district staff will also produce regular drone flyover videos to document construction progress. (The transcript includes a reference to a student drone club producing site footage; the article uses the neutral description "student drone club" because the transcript contains a probable transcription error for the club name.)
Board members and administrators said longer‑term facility planning — including the future use of Young School and the status of 90 Beach Street — will be discussed further by finance and facilities subcommittees over the next 3–5 years. No formal votes were taken on capital investments at this meeting.
