Melanie Lekocevic reports in The Daily Mail the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District spending plan for the upcoming school year is receiving criticism. The $27.5 budget calls for the elimination of two K-6 teaching positions and two teaching assistants, and the reduction of a several full-time positions, including a physics teacher, to part-time status. At a recent meeting, students spoke about the importance of maintaining a strong physics curriculum. Not doing so, they said, would be a disservice. Chemistry teacher Jennifer DeRose said with New York State investing so much in nanoscience these days, supporting the sciences should be a local priority, as well. Potential program changes in the district include an increase in the number of distance learning courses, such as Chinese, American Sign Language and international law. While intermediate to advanced French are still available, the district will continue its plan to phase out the French program. The annual budget vote and board election is May 21. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.