Culture

GNGHS Robotics team, Community Service Club honored; media position, Strategic Plan at School Board

| Janet Clemons |

At their October 2 business meeting, the MSAD 15 board heard updates about a grant awarded to the High School’s robotics team and recognition for the GNGHS Community Service Club’s Backpack program from the Good Shepherd Food Bank. Other topics included a proposed new shared media production position, the District’s Strategic Plan, information outreach about the proposed bond projects, and more.

Recognition. The GNGHS Robotics team received a $3,000 grant from the Boeing Corporation that goes directly towards FIRST program registration costs. FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is a global nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12).

The GNGHS Community Service Club of over 100 members promotes service among students and has been recognized by the Good Shepherd Food Bank for its Backpack Program. Backpack Programs around the country offer families free groceries for weekends and school breaks and include healthy, easy-to-prepare food for kid-friendly meals.

The High School’s Backpack Program was honored for distributing 12,798 pounds of food, including 2,992 pounds of fresh produce, equaling 10,665 meals for families throughout the GNG community during the 2023-24 school year.  Karen Licht, GNGHS Science Teacher and  Community Service Club Advisor, along with students shared an overview of the various projects that the club undertakes including its Backpack Program.

Meeting recordings. The Board discussed Gray Community Television with Kyle Hadyniak, Director of Communications and IT for the Town of Gray.  He has proposed a new position of Media Production Coordinator to assist with the transparency of all boards and their meetings throughout the GNG area. 

For MSAD 15 specifically, this shared position would be responsible for recording meetings at the various sites where the School Board meets. The School Board alternates its monthly business meetings between the New Gloucester Meetinghouse and Gray Town Hall, and those are live-streamed and then available for on-demand viewing.  The Board also often holds workshops at the High School and those are not often live-streamed. This position would allow for this. The funding for this will be shared by the two towns and MSAD 15. Initially it would be a part-time position. The goal is to improve viewership by improving quality as well as availability of various meetings both live-streamed and on-demand.

Biannual report on the MSAD 15 Strategic Plan. Superintendent Craig King updated the Board on the MSAD 15 Strategic Plan, 2022-27.  It is a roadmap that helps guide the District’s leadership and improvement efforts and a living document that helps MSAD 15 continuously improve and plan for the future. The District is well into the third year of this five-year plan.

The Vision statement of the Plan states: “We, the community, students, and staff, form an educational partnership that will provide a safe, fun, healthy, caring, and challenging environment where all learn, succeed, grow, mature, and aspire to meet higher standards. We recognize the need for adaptability in the face of continuing social and technological changes, and we are committed to the development of compassionate, critical, and creative thinkers. We honor the individual and promote personal leadership by fostering intellectual, cultural, civic, social, and personal growth.”

The Strategic Plan has four goals that have been set to help the District meet that Vision:

– Goal #1: All learners in MSAD 15 will experience high-quality instruction and be able to demonstrate skills for lifelong learning, work, and citizenship. 

– Goal #2: All learners in MSAD 15 will attend schools that are safe, nurturing, and responsive to the social and emotional well-being of everyone.

– Goal #3: All learners in MSAD 15 will attend schools that are safe, nurturing, and responsive to the social and emotional well-being of everyone.

– Goal #4: All MSAD 15 employees will collaborate and coordinate highly functional and operational systems to benefit students and staff.

Following Dr. King’s overview, the Board was presented with the priorities and deliverables under each of the four goals that will be worked on during the current school year by all professional staff.  Another document detailed what items were worked on during the 2023-24 school year. The Board will be reviewing these documents and having a Q&A discussion at their workshop on October 16 or at their November 6 Business Meeting.

Staffing update. Dr. King said that like many schools across Maine, MSAD 15 faces another year of unfilled positions. These positions include a district-wide School Psychologist, a Middle School Special Education Teacher, a Van Driver, Van and Bus Aides, Food Service Assistants, and Ed. Tech positions. The Ed. Tech positions are a major concern as they directly support students. The District is considering offering part-time employees the ability to work additional hours in another position to help with shortages, King said. For example, an Ed. Tech II who works 25 hours could work an additional eight hours as a Food Service Assistant. They would then be eligible for increased benefits. 

Administrative organizational chart. An administrative organizational chart has been created to outline the restructuring of administrative responsibilities.  The changes came about as a result of the retirement of the Director of Finance. At that time the Board decided to revamp one position to two.  The new Director of Finance and Operations oversees the various departments of operations (i.e., Transportation, Maintenance, etc).

The Superintendent stated that this is the first such chart the District has had in a long while and provides information to the public about who to contact with any concerns in any of the different departments. Dr. King publicly thanked Maggie Humphrey, Secretary to the Superintendent, for her hard work creating this chart. 

Grant and bond update. Penny Collins, School Board Chair, spoke about the upcoming vote on the District’s three referendum questions (HVAC Revolving Renovation State Funding Grant, the Capital Improvement Bond, and Turf Project).  The District has a website that includes information on the three school bond questions on the November 5 ballot.

Mailers have gone out to all Gray and New Gloucester residents, and tours of the high school were given during Homecoming. The Board also had a table at Homecoming, Collins said. A social media account is also being put together around the bond questions. As much outreach as possible is being done.  The Board is considering having another public presentation to review the information after October 14 and prior to October 24.

Committee reports. Adam Copp, Chair of the Facilities Committee, reported that maintenance staff worked all summer long to allow students to venture back to updated schools. The project list included paving, painting, bathroom repair, new stairs at the central office, field maintenance, floor resurfacing, deep cleaning, and more. Staff has now moved into regular maintenance in facilities and transport. All athletic fields are being heavily used and are being monitored for signs of excessive wear.  Traffic flow to and from the High School and Middle School continues to be an issue. Traffic at the other schools seems to be flowing well this year. 

Gary Harriman, Chair of the Finance Committee, reported that the committee discussed the function and purpose of the group. They also reviewed the July and August financial reports, reviewed balance of accruals made at 2023-24 year-end, and discussed open positions and how budget dollars roll over to the MSAD15 fund balance.

Cole Chandler, Chair of the Personnel Committee, reported that the committee reviewed the organization chart as presented by the Superintendent.  They also discussed the possibility of “cross-employment” as proposed by Dr. King.  The committee is looking to implement “Stay Interviews,” as opposed to exit Interviews, to help curb any potential problems with an employee before they happen.  They reviewed the ESports job description.

Sharon Morey, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, reported that Dr. Chanda Turner reviewed the committee’s roles and procedures. The committee also reviewed and gave feedback on the proposed 2024-25 Curriculum Committee calendar. They also gave feedback on the 2024 Supplemental Data Dashboard document which will be presented to the Board at the November meeting.

Sam Pfeifle, Chair of the Policy Committee, reported that the committee discussed and reviewed several proposed policies recommended from legal counsel. They have not yet taken action on any of the policies. 

School Board Chair report. Chair Penny Collins requested that each board member prepare a short biographical paragraph. They will be having a group photo taken in the near future.

Superintendent report. There have been several recent hires. Jennifer Gagnon is the new district-wide Business Manager. Traci Combs has been hired as an  Ed Tech II for GNGHS. Joseph Conley is a new Van Driver. Amanda True is a Food Service Assistant at GNGMS.  Jodi Walker has been hired as an Ed Tech II for Memorial School’s Gateway Program. 

Kevin McIntyre, a Mechanic for the Transportation Department, has resigned. Mitchell Stevens has transferred from a Van Driver to a Bus Driver for the Transportation Department.

Superintendent Craig King took a moment to acknowledge Nate Priest, Athletic Director, Jade Costello, Assistant Principal, and  Principal Sadie Grealish, along with dozens of teachers and student leaders who worked together to create a successful Homecoming celebration. He shared that it was the best Homecoming he had ever been to.  Homecoming festivities provided community members opportunities to enjoy the parade along with other entertainment, athletic events, games, and refreshments.

Public comment. The meeting opened with several remarks during Public Comment.  Board Member Fran Monroe addressed comments Board Member Sam Pfeifle had made to her after a September Board Workshop. Chair Penny Collins intervened and said that as an issue between board members, Public Comment was not the time or the place to address this. This prompted comments from the audience of community members and from the Board, including Mr. Pfeifle, before the Board moved into its regular business meeting.