Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • 16

iunday Telegram Sunday April 4 2004 IB agreement The Associated Press Schools cut back as boom in pupil enrollment busts The Associated Press ffiamt $tmbaij (lekjram 'W away riends family of Bay State woman keep searching The Associated Press Make This Summer Count at USM 1 888 BANK SIS wwwbanksiscom WorldParenfingcom usm NEED STEPS OR YOUR NEW HOME? Meet Rock a ella A Division of Geoiqe Roberts Co WCSH 'WMTW! CALL TOLL REE 1 888 433 6010 or 207 324 81 00 192 Biddeford Road Route 111 Alfred Maine wwwstepguyscom No Risk to principal Guaranteed yield Security of DIC Insured deposit to distribute new fliers announcing that the reward for information lead ing to Maura has risen to $40000 red Murray the missing father said he was returning to the accident scene this weekend to search areas not being searched by the 9 teams Tho Otit 35th STATE HOUSE Principal Margaret Maclean at the Peacham Elementary School in Peacham Vt talks about cutbacks at the school because of falling enrollment about as lean and mean as it can MacLeansaid LENDER Member DIC REE ESTIMATES 31 Main Street Limerick ME 04048 207 793 2242 'Located Inside Hannaford Corner oi Rte 1 91 1 York ME 207 363 1627 NEW ENGLAND MAIN OICES 900 Main Street Sanford ME 04075 207 324 2285: LOAN CENTER: 897 Main Street Sanfoal ME 04073 207 324 8092 away for a while Laurie Murray said she planned to travel to the Haverhill area today to deliver a message to police not a she said was abducted She would never not call her Laurie Murray said she also wants PEACHAM Vt A decade after the Peacham Elementary School was enlarged to accommodate 100 stu dents the school has half that number anticipate that it would be Principal Margaret MacLean said of the growth in num bers that has since disappeared The 6 school has laid off two teachers combined classrooms reduced programs and cut the princi job in half about as lean and mean as it can MacLean said Peacham is not alone in facing the challenge of educating fewer stu dents: Many small rural schools across Vermont and parts of the Northeast are also looking at a declining student population a relatively stable long term downward trend People are having fewer said Patrick Phillips deputy commis sioner of the Maine Department of Education Between 2000 and 2003 Vermont had the greatest decline in the num ber of children from birth to age 14 according to recent figures from the US Census The number of children under age 5 dropped by 87 percent the decline in children from age 5 to 13 was 91 percent After Vermont the nine states with the greatest declines in children under age 5 include Connecticut Maine New Hampshire New York and Rhode Island an issue of how you manage the school in an era of declining reve nues associated with declining enroll ments and at the same time try to provide high quality said Jeff rancis executive director of the Vermont Associa tion The decline is more of a regional than a national problem Between 2001 and 2013 enrollment in the Northeast is projected to fall by 2 per cent with a 32 percent drop in Ver mont 24 percent in Maine and 02 percent in New Hampshire Nation ally enrollment in elementary and secondary schools is expected to increase 5 percent according to the National Center for Education Statistics Maine Gov John Baldacci has offered financial incentives to encour age schools to become more efficient share costs or consolidate said Phillips The impact will be fewer school expansions more multi age class rooms less pressure on high schools and local discussions about whether to keep small schools often the cen ter of the community open said Vermont Education Commissioner Richard Cate a pretty hard social decision for people to he said In Greensboro the Lakeview Union School will lose 21 sixth graders this year and gain only four kindergartners next year is making people rather ner said principal Linda Aiken have been comments made we going to be looking at closing the That does not help staff Changes made last year to Ver education funding law have Police no longer hunt for Maura Murray who vanished from the scene of a NH car crash in ebruary BRANCHES: 484 Main Street Springvale ME 04083 207 324 1672 Bonny Eagle Plaza Rt West Buxton ME 04093 207 7273121 HAVERHILL NH amily and friends continued their search this weekend for a Massachusetts woman who disappeared after a car accident in northern New Hampshire in ebruary never give up the miss ing mother Laurie Murray said through tears on Saturday Although state officials ended their search weeks ago K9 teams from the Adirondack Rescue Dog Associa tion resumed searching the Haverhill 949m WHOMi free parking area for any sign of Maura Murray 21 of Hanson Mass Police have said there is no evi dence of foul play and are treating the disappearance as a missing person investigation Searchers found no signs of struggle at the scene and it appears Murray was planning a getaway She lied to professors about a death in the family and said she would be gone from class for the week Then she packed her belong ings as if she was moving out Police said Murray may have wanted to get AUGUSTA Budget bargainers spent hours Saturday consulting among themselves and with Baldacci administration officials before public discussion on tax collections and how hiring more examiners and auditors might bring in more revenue Additional revenue is a prime con cern for lawmakers grappling with a $128 million Medicaid shortfall and Gov John plan to come up with $32 million more to fund emer gency needs and helped Under Act 68 property taxes are expected to go down in many towns this year That has eased the debate about school spending in Peacham The school budget that was voted down twice two years ago passed this year sentiment is that they want to keep the said MacLean The larger issue she said is rising property values that are changing the demographics is becoming a very expensive place to live so young fam ilies find affordable she said families got in the last few years have been families who have moved from out of state and come from substantial or now small schools keep a close eye on moving in having babies and moving out had a family this year from Atlanta Georgia and next year two boys from the said MacLean Next week school officials in Mor gan Brighton Charleston and Hol land in tiie northeast comer of Ver mont will meet to brainstorm about how they might share resources and teachers really want to see the local school said Morgan School Board Chairman Robert Cargill who sent his two boys there I also live in town and pay taxes an emotional he said have to take time with it We have to realty look at best for the kids and the Over 500 undergraduate and graduate courses Elect one two three four and seven week classes Classes are held on Portland Gorham and Lewiston Auburn campuses Extensive offering of international and travel based courses Open registration begins April 23 Session I starts on May 17 Other sessions begin at variable times throughout the summer You do not have to be a matriculated USM student to take a class or information a Summer Session catalog or for access inquiries call (207) 780 56 17 TTY (207) 780 5646 Only 12 days left to take advantage your 2003 1RA contribution deadline of April 15th Negotiators are to meet again today to work on cutting the Medicaid shortfall Many Northeast towns see empty space in schools built to hold what was once a growing population balance state spending for the next fiscal year But waiy of increasing the state govern ment work force Appropriations Committee members have also been reviewing elements of the package that would add positions for Maine Revenue Services and other depart ments including a Corrections Department overseeing a high prison population The hope of wrapping up work by the end of the day faded as new questions arose But it seemed the two sides had not given up on reaching a bipartisan compromise The committee was scheduled to reconvene today Central to any accord would be how to handle proposal and alternatives for curbing Medicaid expenditures most of which have yet to be released Baldacci said negotiations were lively always people are talking a lot of number he said a recognition that we have to change the structure the management of the MaineCare pro he said adding there was mutual interest in maintaining sup port services for the most needy least at this point both parties recog nize Medicaid program known as MaineCare serves 250000 people through 7000 providers in the state The Democratic majority presented without public explanation its latest plan to revise original Medicaid cutback proposal and received tentative support from Republicans think we have a ways to said Rep Richard Rosen Bucksport the ranking Republican House member He said GOP com mittee members would treat it posi tively the purposes of moving Democrats greeted the Republican response favorably are veiy willing to discuss this more and replied Sen Mary Cathcart Orono the Senate chairwoman of the panel Earlier Appropriations Committee members dismissed staffing alterna tives with Corrections Commissioner Martin Magnusson on Saturday with an eye toward balancing safety and savings but final action was put off Lots of people take him for granite At a price you will love 2004 A List of eatured Products Services' that has NO RIVAL! New Homes Remodeling Home Improvement Windows Doors Kitchens Baths Interior Design Energy Savings Log Homes Garden Disolav Home Entertainment Building Materials Power Eouioment Landscape Design Lawncare WoodCoalPellet Stoves Tree Care Service HeatlngCoollng Systems inancial Services Outdoor Grills Sunrooms looring wools spaa encing And Morel fetal GENERAL Kil 800'2376024 Children 12 years old and under REE with an adult wwwhomeshowscom tOLARE A GOOD PARENT YOU COULD BE EVEN BETTER PORTLAND EXPO Portland Maine ri lpm 9pm Satl0am 9pm Sun 10 am 5 pm Photos by The Associated Press The Dewy School in Concord NH will close next year because of tight budgets and a student population that has dropped 50 percent in a decade a trend creating problems for schools around the Northeast Legislators still seek Medicaid 1284 Main Street South Sanlord ME 04073 207 324 8047 Located Inside s' Hannaford Junction 5 262 Waterboro ME 207 247 8777 Mmmurn bWance to oUah tha Annual Psrcartage Yistd Is $1 00000 balance to obtain Ibis Annual Pentage Yield is $1 0OOO CC The APY sonto as 2 6 Merest is compounded modHy: A penalty may be imposed lor early withdrawals thwolta subject to change and can fie withdrawn wft4'noKaCD'swerauredbyttieDICitotorrarw4mBaltowsdbylew AB SflyerlJnk CD's require me fiiairrfenance of an SIS Checking AcciiunL Time is slipping PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS INVITED TO VISIT or call 2OT TT2 66T9 5 wwwusmmaineedusummer university of SOUTHERN MAINE Sanford Institution for 1 ffi25747 Come See Us The Ptrtand Home Stew at the Portland April 2 3 4 X4 id' I fMaihfi JM Tu iHeB A MU' I I Ct sb 9 rvn i a i SSSRBBB 1 I I 1 MIIIIW MTWtWA I Exdq3M 5i SXlX PORTLANDtop i VAJ 414 ORE STREET 207 879 6306 KENNEBUNKPORT 30 ocean avenue iHHHS 207 967 2206 bHBHB OPEN SUN 12 5 id I zh SZ Montana 1 It Ll kJ IfSf I 1 Bl 1 I £7 uV! 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