By Cate Lecuyer
Staff Writer
May 15, 2008 12:27 am BEVERLY — Mayor Bill Scanlon's last-minute plan to close McKeown Elementary School and keep Cove Elementary School open was met with skepticism from Superintendent James Hayes, the School Committee and the community last night. Many people at last night's School Committee meeting questioned whether the mayor's plan to use money from trash fees and recycling savings to keep Cove open was sustainable. Instead, residents and officials called it a Band-Aid solution that would lead to another school being closed in the future and another transition for elementary children. "The reality of implementation is much more costly than the hypothetical view," said Hayes, who "took his best guess" that Scanlon's plan was to only close McKeown and prepared a handout that showed McKeown kids being divided up by streets and dispersed to the city's five other elementary schools, where class sizes would range from 18 to 31 students. "You can analyze it all you want, but for me this is the wrong road to head down," Hayes said. The mayor's proposal, which he kept secret until last night's meeting, is his alternative to Hayes' plan to close both McKeown and Cove, turning them into an alternative school and early childhood education center, respectively. The changes are part of an effort to close a $2.67 million school funding deficit. Other tactics to close the deficit include laying off 61 teachers and staff and a variety of other cuts. Closing McKeown would save the district $1.16 million; shuttering Cove would save $673,000. The mayor estimated that his plan would bring in about $680,000.
Scanlon's plan r Close McKeown and turn it into a secondary alternative school. r Keep Cove open. r Use money from trash fees and increased recycling savings to make up the cost of keeping Cove open (about $680,000) and help close a $2.67 million shortfall in next year's budget.
Hayes' plan r Close McKeown and turn it into a secondary alternative school. r Close Cove and turn it into an early childhood education center. r Use the savings from closing both schools to help close a $2.67 million shortfall in next year's budget.
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