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sponse to the budget, high school teacher Helen LaCava, co-president of the local teachers’ organization, urged the board members to support the superintendent’s budget. She noted that much progress had been made during the 1980’s. “In the schools, people are happier . . . We are improving, and we don’t want to stop,” she said.

However, she said, “There is a great need at the elementary school for more planning time for teachers.” She urged the board and administration to try to schedule more planning time at the elementary school even though the proposed budget includes no funds to hire extra people to take the burden off the regular classroom teachers.

She also suggested that for next year the administration and board reconsider the pay scale for extracurricular activities such as coaching sports and sponsoring the yearbook “to reflect the hours spent and the work done. I am embarrassed as yearbook sponsor saying that the yearbook is worth more than that, but it is,” she said.

One of the items included in last year’s budget and cut from this year’s is a subsidy for textbooks. In presenting the budget Dr. Gangel said he expected textbook fees charged students to increase substantially as a result. Two kindergarten teachers spoke out to ask that kindergarten fees not be increased. “Fees for kindergarten jumped dramatically in the past,” Carol Atkins said. “They pay more than seventh graders for textbooks. You need to ease the strain on parents and children.”

Shelby Jordon seconded Ms. Atkins’ comments, adding that the average fee charged kindergarten parents is already $64. She also asked consideration for additional teacher’s aides to help in the kingergarten classrooms. The four kindergarten classrooms share one aide, she said. When she attended conferences and spoke with other kindergarten teachers she found that most have a full-time aide for each kindergarten classroom.

Following those public presenta