Reduced Spanish Program, Activities Fee Approved

Madison elementary school students will be taking Spanish in only the 4th and 5th grades, while high school students participating in extra curricular activities will be required to pay a $100 fee next school year.

The Board of Education approved the finance committee's recommended list of position and program restorations associated with the approved final budget–and an additional act to institute a high school activities fee–on Tuesday night at its regular meeting.

Both were introduced and discussed at the board's meeting last week.

The approved recommendation list included the restoration of Spanish classes at the 4th and 5th grade level with one teacher, as the entire program had been cut in the initial budget voted down on April 20.

However, after a wage freeze taken by all district unions, the Borough Council recommended the full program be restored in its reduced budget handed to the district. The program had previously utilized two positions, teaching Spanish from 1st grade on.

Though some members of the council felt strongly about the full restoration of the program in its recommendation, state law says the Board of Education only needs to adhere to the budget amount handed down by the governing body and can apply that money as it sees fit.

Board member Linda Gilbert voted against the restorations, saying she was voting "no" to restoring Spanish to the 4th and 5th grades. The list of finance committee recommendations passed 6-1 with Gilbert's dissenting vote (Kevin Blair was absent from Tuesday's meeting). For a full list restorations, click here.

In a separate act, the board also approved a $100 fee that would be assessed on students participating in any sport, club, or other activity that has a board funded stipend. The fee would be a flat rate, meaning there would be no second fee for a student who is involved in multiple activities. There would also be a family cap at $200 dollars, so families with more than two children participating in such activities would not have to pay more than that amount.

The fee proposal also calls for a tie-in with the federal free and reduced lunch program. Students receiving free lunch would not have to pay an activity fee. Those who only pay 50 percent of their lunch cost would in turn only pay a $50 activity fee.

It has been estimated that about 600 students participate in activities, most in more than one, and about 50 of them receive lunch aid. It was also estimated that the activity fee would generate about $60,000 during the school year, helping to offset the roughly $1 million activities cost the district.

The proposal matched what MHS Principal Greg Robertson, Athletic Director Sean Dowling, and Dean of Students John Connolly presented at last week's meeting. Board members at that meeting had asked for more information regarding costs and membership associated with the activities that would be effected by the fee. Members had a packet they received containing that information at Tuesday night's meeting.

One of the biggest concerns expressed by board members was for students who participate in service clubs.

"My concern is for students who just serve on a service organization," board member Sam Cavaliere said. "My concern is they would be impacted by this and wind up paying to volunteer."

Gilbert said she looked at the yearbook and in her research found only four students who appeared to only participate in a service organization and no other activity.

"Still, in principle that sounds ridiculous, I agree," BOE President Lisa Ellis said in support of Cavaliere's point.

Superintendent Dr. Richard Noonan said a policy dealing with such students was something they could look into down the road.

Cavaliere and James Novotny voted against the activities fee, as it passed 5-2. However, though he voted to approve the fee, board member Dave Arthur asked for future research into activities' costs.

"I think we continue to need to look at the coaching staffing," Arthur said. "We're going to ask the public for $55,000, then I think it's incumbent on us to continue to cut. I do not believe in some of these sports that it is a safety issue, I think it's more a practice of having someone in a special position or coaching position. And they may not be luxuries we can afford going forward."

Ellis also expressed her wish for the program to be reassessed at the end of next school year.

"I'd also ask we do make sure the high school staff reevaluates this in total at the end of next year," Ellis said. "I have concerns especially regarding the families of athletes already contributing very significant amounts of money. I feel this is going to place an added burden on them. I think the number is manageable, but we need to look at it again at the end of next year and see if we're seeing our booster clubs are not being able to raise the kind of funds they have in the past or collect dues they've been relying on to support its programs."