• Last year's budget cuts got a second look during the Groton School Board's regular meeting on Monday. They took a look at the possibility of re-instating some of the cuts, as they start to look at next year's budget.
• Since the state legislature did not increase the level of funding to the school back to previous years levels, the district is down about six percent from where it was two years ago, very few programs will see reinstatement this next year. Three areas that may see some type of increases are: teacher professional development, summer library and some organizational membership dues. The board members also took a look at the reinstatement of the four programs that were cut last year, Golf, cheerleading, DI and Debate. More then likely these programs will not be reinstated for the next year, however the board will take a closer look after the budget numbers are closer to being finalized.
• Scott Thorson approached the board about instating a yearly class trip. The five day, four night trip would cover Washington DC, New York City and Philadelphia. He would like to see the trip done between the Junior and Senior year of high school, as the students take US History as Juniors and Government as Seniors. Thorson says he doesn't foresee any group fund raising, each student would raise the money to go on their own. The cost of the trip would run about $1800-$1900 per student. After the first couple of years the students would have three years to raise the funds to go on the trip, as they would start as Freshman.
• "I would like it to be a everyone goes on a trip," Thorson said. "I don't want to do it for only a few. This is a great opportunity for some of these students to travel and see some of our country's history."
• Board members expressed concerns about more fund raising being done, everyone is about fund raised out. Thorson said the two companies that he is looking at both offer payment installments and in  talking to the students, they (the students) felt they could raise the money individually to go.
• "I would like to see this trip patterned after the way Aberdeen Roncalli does it," Thorson said. "Each parent and student knows the trip is coming and the school expresses their expectations that each student will be going."
• Thorson went on to admit that he comparing apples to oranges by comparing the two schools, as Roncalli has standing funds, donated by benefactors to help provide scholarships to those students in need.
• The board did grant their permission for Thorson to meet with the current year's sophomores and parents to see if there was an interest and how parents felt about raising the money. Thorson hopes to do this in the next week or so.

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