While superintendent Clint Stables has already received several letters of opposition regarding the school bus proposal, with numerous signatures on each letter, the board is still seriously considering the proposal.

Combining routes could cut time off many children’s rides to school, Stables said. He said some students currently ride the bus an hour and 40 minutes in each direction.

The combined route also would allow the board to reduce by attrition several bus drivers, save on gas, and reduce wear and tear on the buses.

“I’d have to run the numbers, but we could save as much as $100,000 with the combined routes,” Stables estimated.

The board could also reduce a proposed expenditure of $174,000 to replace two aging buses.

“I like this idea better than anything else as far as saving money,” said school board member Susan Smith.

Regarding a shorter school year, teachers and administrators expressed some resonating concern over the concept, while at least one parent said she favored the idea.

Under the proposed plan, the school year would conclude before Memorial Day, eliminating the final two weeks of school following the completion of the standardized tests. Those two weeks are traditionally spent taking field trips and enjoying less academic pursuits.

Stables anticipates saving some $80,000 the first year under the proposed schedule and an additional $200,000 the second year.

“We’ve got to make some sacrifices,” said vice chairman Myrtle Phillips. “Everybody’s got to come together and work with us to do this.”

Stables said the weeks following Memorial Day, when teachers are still on contract, could be used not only to run summer school but to offer special interest classes such as art, music and gifted programs.

There would be little leeway, however, for snow days and other weather-related closures under the proposed schedule. A blizzard or hurricane could push the school year back into June.

Students who did get out in May would have a jump-start on the summer job market, mother Amy Reynolds noted.

The board also is debating whether to give the teachers raises and whether to cut four positions through attrition.

One teaching position would be cut from each school, plus an aide position at the elementary school, saving a total of about $200,000.

This was cause for concern among the school board members, who don’t want to compromise the quality of instruction.

“How much we cut out of the school program is significant compared to what we are saving,” said school board member Dean Sumner.

Sumner, on the other hand, said he would oppose any salary raises for teachers.

“Look at the direction this economy is going,” he said. “There are wage freezes, IRAs are down, people are losing their jobs. It would be irresponsible to ask these people to come up with more money so that government employees can get a raise, and I’ll vote against it.”

Principals from the middle and elementary school spoke on behalf of the raises noting that Northumberland already has some of the lowest salaries in the state and recruiting only becomes more difficult the wider the discrepancy becomes.

They noted that other teachers in the area are getting raises. (Lancaster’s school board approved a 2 percent salary increase for teachers in addition to the elimination of seven teaching positions in its budget proposal.)

Several teachers added that insurance costs are rising for teachers and it would help to give at least enough of a raise to cover that cost.

After more than an hour of conversation on the topic, the board asked Stables to come back with more information.

The board’s decision on each of these issues will impact any increase it requests from the county and, ultimately, whether county taxpayers see an increase in their bills this year.

Under one variation of the budget, there would be a county funding decrease of $13,000.

Teacher raises alone would require an increase of nearly $275,000.

If the four teaching positions are not cut and the school year isn’t shortened, the increase to the county could be more than $300,000.

If bus routes stay the same and the school year doesn’t change and teachers get their raise, then the increase to the county could be more than $600,000.

The board will make its final decision on these issues at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, March 25, in the school board office in Lottsburg.