Barrington superintendent: Sports programs, teaching positions to be cut
Michael Messore says cuts had to be made when $1.2M funding increase was eliminated
The superintendent of Barrington schools said the elimination of the $1.2 million requested increase to the school budget will result in the loss of more than a dozen staff positions, about a half-dozen classes, and the elimination of all middle school sports programs, and four high school sports teams.
The Barrington High School wrestling, gymnastics and boys' and girls' hockey teams stand to be cut as a result of the loss of the funding increase request, said Superintendent Michael Messore.
"It was never our intention to cut anything," Mr. Messore said on Friday morning.
On Thursday night, school officials unveiled a list of teaching positions, programs and sports teams that they said would be cut as a result of the recent budget recommendation offered by the committee on appropriations. The school department had requested a $1.2 million increase to the current $47 million budget, but members of the committee on appropriations voted 4-1 for no increase to the school budget.
Mr. Messore said going through the list of programs and positions and making cuts was one of the most difficult things he has had to do in his 28 years working for the Barrington School Department.
Officials identified the elimination of 16.5 staff positions.
Included among the cuts were positions at various grade levels, positions in art, music and library, world languages at the high school, the middle school and high school consumer science classes, an instructional coach, and a guidance counselor position and a special education position at Hampden Meadows School.
Mr. Messore said he anticipated class sizes to increase to about 25 students per class.
"This is what you have to deal with" when there is a $1.2 million cut, he said.
At the high school, the world languages department will be impacted. Chinese will be eliminated, and Latin and Spanish programs will be reduced, said Mr. Messore.
The cuts to sports went deep.
The entire middle school sports program, which includes basketball, wrestling, cross country and other sports, will be eliminated. And at the high school, students will no longer be able to compete on school teams for wrestling, gymnastics and boys' and girls' hockey.
"There's never an intent to create panic, but this is the reality of what $1.2 million looks like in a school district," Mr. Messore said.
There will be a public budget hearing on Wednesday, May 10, at Barrington High School at 7 p.m.
The annual financial town meeting, where the budgets are voted upon, will be held on Wednesday, May 24, at Barrington High School at 7 p.m.
