By Cate Lecuyer
Staff writer
March 27, 2008 06:00 am
BEVERLY — Cove and McKeown elementary students would be scattered throughout city schools in a proposal that calls for the drastic reorganization of the district in order to save money.
Other cost-cutting measures next year would mean the elimination of 61 full-time positions.
Under the reorganization plan, Cove would become an early childhood education center to serve "exploding" preschool enrollments, and McKeown would become an alternative secondary school and would reduce costs by bringing back special-education students now being placed out of the district.
As a result, students at Cove and McKeown would be moved to Hannah, North Beverly, Ayers and Centerville elementary schools.
In addition to other changes at Beverly High and Briscoe Middle School — including getting rid of Latin, replacing custodians with a private company and eliminating a team of teachers at Briscoe — the savings reduces a $2.6 million shortfall to about $46,000, Superintendent James Hayes said. It would also mean laying off a total of 61 full-time positions.
Hayes said the proposal maintains class sizes, which would otherwise go up, and keeps most of the current academic and elective classes.
"I don't want to be doing this, but the reality is the shortfall needs to be closed, and we're doing it in a way that preserves education for our students," he told about 100 people during last night's budget meeting in the high school library.
The public was not allowed to speak but sighed and whispered at the news. Those asked at the meeting refused to comment on the proposed changes, but will be able to voice their questions and concerns at 7 p.m. on April 1 in the Beverly High School cafeteria.
"This is shocking news to you, I have no doubt about that," Hayes said.
Yet costs for health insurance, utilities and special education continue to rise much faster than the revenue coming in to pay for them, and something needs to be done, Hayes said.
At the beginning of the meeting, he said there were two options: "Hope for financial rescue" or "fundamentally change what we do."
Members of the School Committee weighed in after the presentation.
Karen Fogarty, who represents Ward 4, expressed concern that such a major reorganization would be permanent.
"There's no way we can go back and revisit this if our fortune changes in two years," she said. Her comment was met with a round of applause from the audience.
"If not this, then what?" Hayes asked. "If you have faith in two years someone is coming to our rescue, you're more of an optimist than I am."
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