|Janet Clemons|
At their November 2 Business Meeting, the MSAD 15 School Board reported on many recognitions, heard from two students about Band Day, and approved two overnight field trips and two new sporting opportunities. The board also approved several policy updates, heard reports from committees and the Superintendent, and celebrated recent recognitions.
Recognitions: There were many items worthy of recognition this month. Carl Holmquist was awarded the Maine School Boards Association (MSBA) Distinguished Service Award in recognition of the thousands of hours he has dedicated to building, grooming, and maintaining the Libby Hill Trails. His commitment to the Libby Hill Trails is representative of a lasting contribution to the community and models a commitment to community service for all MSAD 15 students.
Many music students were recognized. At the high school level, students Gracen Golebiewski, Sam Larrivee, Brodyn Fenton, and Quinn Lamoureux have been chosen to participate in the All-New England Band Festival at Plymouth State University this month. While there they will perform under the direction of nationally recognized orchestra, symphony, and band directors. This annual event features the most talented high school students across New England. Later in the meeting, the board approved travel funding to the festival for the district’s qualifying musicians.
Also, students from both the High School and Middle School music program auditioned for and were accepted to participate in the Annual District II Honors Music Festival at Deering High School in February. District II is a Maine Music Educators division that comprises over thirty public and private schools in the southwest region of Maine. High school students Brodyn Fenton and Sam Larrivee received the highest scores in their audition category. Virginia Wile, Lucy Collins, Mia Reiling, Eli Richardson, Nick Levier, Makayal Gill, Alex MacVicar, Ireland Muncie, and Lauren Raifsnider were named to the Honors Choir. Ella Diffin, Brodyn Fenton, Quinn Lamoureux, Sam Larrivee, Charlena Lavallee, Zachary Murphy, and Ava Shedlarski were named to the Honors Band. From the Middle School, Benjamin Fortin, Isana Bell, Ian Aubut, Christopher Foster, Sarah Pelkey, and Kaylee-Ann Martey were named to the Honors Choir.
In sports, high school junior Carter Libby made an amazing finish, winning this year’s Maine Class B Cross Country Championship despite slipping and falling. He will be competing in the All-New England Championships in Rhode Island on Saturday November 12. The board approved funding for Carter and Coach Adam Zuckowski to travel to the Rhode Island meet.
Student presentation: The board heard a presentation from high school sophomores Quinn Lamoureux and Ashten Golebiewski about the high school band trip to Band Day at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Band Day allows high school students to experience what it is like to play at the university level. Thousands of students from across New England performed selections from High School Musical. The students expressed experiencing an overwhelming feeling of awe while playing in a band with two thousand other students.
Sports proposals: The Board heard a proposal to form a cooperative agreement with MSAD 51 (this is a change from previous years with St. Dom’s) for Girls Ice Hockey from Athletic Director Susan Robbins. The proposal was approved at the end of the presentation. Following this approval, the proposal goes to the Maine Principals Association for approval.
Athletic Director Susan Robbins, along with the coach of ESports Mike Lamoureux, gave a report about Maine High School ESports. ESports is the fastest growing sport at high schools across the country. This involves organized competition for teen gamers. ESports provides another opportunity for schools to engage students who may not otherwise be engaged in after-school activities. There are at least 20 students interested. A stipend for the coach is under discussion with the Superintendent and may be put into the upcoming budget. Right now there is money available through unfilled stipend positions. The Board approved a one-year pilot program with a report to come at the end of the year.
Policies Approved: The board unanimously approved the revisions of two policies. A revised policy on Student Wellness replaces the existing policy that had language more specific to the PEP grant, a federal grant expanding K-12 physical education programs. The main focus of the new policy remains based on Nutrition and Student Activity. Also a revision of a current policy, the Policy on Superintendent Evaluation came with recommendations from the Personnel Committee with guidelines for streamlining the timeline for evaluations and the importance of gathering feedback from the Administration and Central Office staff.
Maine School Management Association (MSMA) Fall Conference: Board members Sam Pfeifle and Gary Harriman attended this conference in late October. Board Chair Pfeifle reported that along with sessions on legal updates and negotiations, he attended a presentation on electric school buses. He outlined what he had learned about the pros and cons of these vehicles, noting that this is evolving technology with grant money available worth pursuing.
Committee Reports: Each Board committee reported on their monthly meetings. The Facilities Committee is reconstituting the Bond Committee which was in place prior to the pandemic. It was noted that this is not a new committee. Work putting together this bond has been in progress since 2018. In the interim, some of the items that would have been in the bond have been accomplished. The Facilities Committee is in the process of working to get refreshed plans and updated estimates for expansions and capital improvements that will be funded through the bond.
The Finance Committee reported on several items. One is that some contingency funds had to be used for the lead mitigation. The district has not had to use any outside transportation yet this year even though some bus driver positions remain unfilled. There is extra revenue this year due to the addition of 27 students, mostly from Raymond. The current enrollment of attending students in the district is 1838, up from the projected 1800. This number is expected to go down in the next couple of years. It was also reported that there is $940,000 in the Capital Reserve Fund seen as seed money for the capital projects that will be included in the upcoming bond for expansions and capital improvements. The District’s Debt Service is among the lowest in the state with the current debt and interest being $594,000.
The Personnel Committee is in the beginning stages of setting up a timeline for the upcoming negotiations of the Teachers Contract which expires at the end of this school year. The Curriculum Committee received a presentation on the evolution of the curriculum since the years of No Child Left Behind to the current focus which is more on integration and multidisciplinary standards.
The Policy Committee worked on the policies that were approved. They also met with the High School and Middle School principals to discuss the district’s policy on the use of personal technological devices (aka cell phones).
Public Comment: During public comment a resident asked about how to get an item of public concern on the agenda. They were asked to contact the Board Chair to discuss the nature of the concern. From there it would be determined whether or not it could be placed on the agenda.
Superintendent’s Report: Dr. King had a very brief report this month. He reported that there have been several new hires and three resignations since the last meeting.
The board’s next regularly scheduled Business Meeting will be held on Wednesday December 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pennell Complex in Gray.
