We went to the School portion of Town Meeting last night with Bill and Diane Rossi. This is the first year the school meeting has been separate from the regular town meeting, and we were pleased to see there was an exceptionally good crowd.

Things started off with an extended period of explanations about how the school would be re-organized to accommodate the slimmed-down budget presented in the Warning by the School Board. Principal Regina Quinn explained what adjustments will be needed and where cuts would be made to adapt to the needs of this economy. Chris Tormey, chair of the School Board, said this is only a beginning and it will take several years to get where Cabot needs to be in restructuring.

Voters seemed to be in agreement that cuts were needed and probably long over due. Student population is declining and that means less funding from the State, with higher taxes locally needed to fill the gaps if expenses are not reduced. There was a proposed amendment to reduce the overall budget by $300,000, but that did not pass; a second amendment to increase the budget by about $14,000 to keep elementary sports within the school program rather than making it a community responsibility also did not pass.

The budget was voted as presented, 126 to 51.

While some questions went unanswered regarding certain expenditures and semantics of the budget, the voters agreed the School Board had done a very good job in very difficult circumstances, and gave the Board kudos for their work. Long-time board member Roman Kokodyniak will retire from the board this year and received a standing ovation in recognition of his work on the Board. Chris Tormey was also applauded for his work.

The meeting, which took about two hours, was cordial, thoughtful and very productive.

A highlight for both Fred and Bill was the free rutabaga fries offered by the Blackwell Roots Farm, of Cabot. They both said the fries were exceptionally good. I tried a few and would have liked them better with seasonings, but they were surprisingly tasty, even without.
Blackwell Roots Farm specializes in winter storage crops (root vegetables) and hopes to coordinate with the school to use more local food. In the process, students will learn about growing and using more of their own foods. To learn more about the farm, go to their web site: www.blackwellroots.com

I didn't go to the regular town meeting today - I chipped a tooth yesterday and have a dental appointment to get that fixed. I'll have the results of the meeting later for you.