Early intervention at Wiscasset Elementary School has been extremely important, Special Education Director Kenneth Spinney told the school committee Monday.

“We’re doing a great job at that, and it’s going to help a lot.” The department’s special education staff are tremendous, he said at another point in the budget workshop. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Terry Wood agreed.

In the draft Wood shared onscreen in the Zoom session, special education is down $24,147; food service, with two new hires replacing two retiring staff, is down $57,385; and department-wide, insurance is up 6%; dental insurance, up 3%.

Wood and Chairman Michael Dunn said under the $9.96 million budget draft, the required local amount to raise is about $6 million. Wood said, “We need to cut about $65,000 ... if we want to come out (to) the same amount for (locally raised as last year). I think we will be able to save in transportation and some of the lines we’re not accessing (this spring)  – sports, coaches, things like that,” Wood explained.

“I think that we are being fiscally responsible with what is being presented to you as a school committee and what is being presented to the town, so I feel pretty comfortable with that.”

Responding to a question from Wood, Athletic Director-Assistant Principal Warren Cossette said he is monitoring middle school sports closely, after last year when, he said, “a few vocal people” asked for a sport that went on to have fewer athletes than in the prior year. “And I’m kind of concerned ... that that’s going to be a trend. We can’t just every year cave in to two or three people that are vocal ... There’s an equity piece. We can’t get into who screams the loudest gets the most.”

Committee members had few questions as administrators presented the latest draft. Then as the workshop neared its close, Cossette got the committee’s OK to speak on something he said was not budget-related: He then spoke as, he said, a parent, community member and as “an employee that’s proud to be part of this.” Wood and all other administrators have been on the buses and helping get food to children, he said. “We’ve had a lot of people come and go here, but very seldom have we had a team that’s invested, like the school board, like every other person here, that when a crisis hits, they really shine ... Everybody’s doing a great job ... I wanted everyone to know publicly, that we are very lucky to have the leadership that we do.”

In a phone interview Tuesday, Wood said she was humbled, and she agreed with Cossette’s observations about the whole team’s efforts. And she feels this spring’s experience will make them all stronger.