NGX asked school board candidates to provide information to help voters understand their backgrounds and perspectives. There are six candidates for three seats. Get to know them! Candidate profiles follow in alphabetical order.
Christie Barone
Penny Collins
Misty Coolidge
Adam Lee
Dorene Libby
Laura Jane Sturgis
CRISTIE BARONE
Occupation: ME DOE School Public Health Response Team Specialist
Education: FLCC, ADN, Canandaigua, NY, 3/03, LPN Degree, MSW School of Nursing, Geneva, NY, 08/96
Community organizations/ service: I served in the American Red Cross for ten years, taught English and first aid in Paraguay, and am a pianist in my local church.
Interests/ hobbies: My favorite interests are outdoor activities and participating in extreme sports with family or friends.
Family status: I am married and have a 22 year old son and a 19 year old daughter, both in the ME Air National Guard.
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
MSAD 15 provides a variety of educational opportunities for students and is in the top 10% of the state for graduation rates. The district average reading skills are above state average. Math scores should improve as the district continues building focus on math skills.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
I enjoy working with others to problem solve and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the school community for improved student achievement.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
Three goals I would like to accomplish during my term are: to partner with school stakeholders in order to aspire to the continued success of our students, to have a positive impact in managing and overseeing district activities, personnel, policies and properties; and to represent the people of New Gloucester.
What was your favorite subject in school?
I enjoy participating in team sports and can be very competitive so I would say Physical Education was my favorite subject in school.
PENNY COLLINS
Occupation: Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Education: Bachelors in communications from UMaine at Orono, and Masters in social work from USM.
Community organizations/ service:
Current service: Board of Directors, Cumberland County Children’s Theatre Stage Manager, Cumberland County Children’s Theatre
Previous service: Vice Chair, Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences Board of Directors, President, Portland NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Support Group Facilitator, Portland NAMI
Interests/ hobbies: Gardening, reading, skiing, camping
Family status: Married with two children attending local public schools
Social media: www.facebook.com/PennyCforGNG
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
I am impressed by the variety of programming offered by our local schools, particularly at the high school level. Gray and New Gloucester not only have a great public school program, but we also have a large home school community and Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences, a free public charter school. Our family considered moving districts once our children were of school age, but ultimately found we loved the community spirit at GNG. Families trust the schools, and the schools work hard to meet the needs of kids and families. You saw this during covid – other districts had a lot of fighting and disagreement between families and administrators. It looked to me like GNG schools did what they could to keep kids both safe and accessing their education, and parents trusted and supported decisions of the district. The high school offers options from the IB program to PATHS to the ExCEL program. Looking ahead, I would love to see the GNG schools embrace outdoor education and a focus on growing learners who are engaged and critical thinkers. I want to see us getting creative – the workforce continues to change and there’s not “one way” to be successful. Let’s look beyond the tracks of ‘trade’ vs ‘college’ and really help kids explore options.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
I am motivated by the desire to keep the GNG School Board focused on schools and children. There is a movement to turn local school boards and town councils into forums for national political agendas. While I enjoy spirited political discourse, a School Board is no place for a political agenda. The work of the school board is to support the staff, administration, and parents in service to our children. I have served on a school board in the past, and our goal was always to put the children at the center of decision making. GNG has a strong and functional school district. I wish to support them in continuing their success.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
1) Support GNG schools in offering a robust and meaningful public education for all kids. 2) Attracting and maintaining a strong professional teaching staff and administration who wish to stay with GNG long term. 3) Growing GNG’s reputation as a welcoming community dedicated to children and families regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and/or physical or mental abilities
What was your favorite subject in school?
English
MISTY COOLIDGE
Occupation: Business owner- Coolidge Family Farm in New Gloucester, Coolidge Chapel in Gray, and Maine Mixologists.
Education: BS, Husson University
Community organizations/ service:
Current MSAD15 School Board Member, Good Shepherd Food Bank Volunteer, Husson University Board of Visitors, NACE (National Association of Catering & Events) Board Member, 100 Women Who Care of Southern Maine, Member of Coolidge Foundation, Mrs USA 2021, and Author (We All Stir the Pot), a children’s book being published in September.
Interests/ hobbies: serving others, particularly fighting hunger
Family status: Married to Peter Bear, we have three young children, all attend Memorial School
Social media: @coolidgesturgisMSAD15
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
Having served on the School Board for this last term, I know that our number one goal is the success of our students. All of our committees work extremely hard at each of their chosen goals and collectively we ensure that our schools are performing to the best of their abilities, are safe, and our students are set up for success now and in the future.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
A continued focus and support for our teachers and our students. We are headed in a wonderful direction, and I’d hate to see that progression stop or go backwards.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
1. Continued service to the Facilities and Policy Committees. 2. Increased transparency. 3. Maintaining our current standards and building on them.
What was your favorite subject in school?
English
ADAM LEE
Occupation: Master electrician, Director of Education, Maine Electrical Institute
Education: 2 years of Bible college
Community organizations/ service: Youth Pastor for 8 years at a local church, currently serving on the new DEI committee
Interests/ hobbies: Hunting, fishing, reading, hiking
Family status: Married
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
I think we have some amazing teachers and they have worked very hard, especially over the past couple years to overcome many hurdles thrown at them. I think English, Math and Science are areas that we need to continue to focus our resources in order to ensure our students are able to compete in the market place and ensure that we are raising up the next generation of leaders.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
I care deeply about the unity of families. I want to ensure that parents voices concerns and values are heard, understood and supported. I also want to ensure that our teachers are valued and supported so that they are not burned out. We entrust them with our children and we need to make sure they are valued for their service.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
1) I would love to see our music department grow and allow students who have an interest in strings (violin, viola, base, etc) to have that opportunity to explore. Not at the expense of any other part of the music department, but i addition to. I would love to see us expand that department. This may mean looking for funding that is not being utilized but could be available to the district through creative means. 2) I am a big advocate for trades. I am a Master Electrician and own my own business. I am the Director of Education for a local trade school, so I am passionate about trades. I would like to make the pathway into the trades more clearly understood and help students be prepared for the work force in real and practical ways that will benefit both the employer and employee. 3) In light of the current labor shortage and staggering inflation that our nation is seeing, we need to recognize that our teachers are being effected just as much as any one else. We must ensure that our teachers are compensated in a way that makes sense for the present and well into the future. I am a fiscal conservative, and care deeply about balanced budgets and not burdening tax payers with continual increase in taxes. I would want to ensure that monies are spent on the most important areas of priority and that is: English, Science, Math and our teachers. Spending needs to be prioritized to ensure our students are the most prepared to compete in this workforce.
What was your favorite subject in school?
Science/Biology
DORENE LIBBY
Occupation: Business owner, Thermal Lock, Inc.
Education: Attended Champlain College & Central Maine Community College
Community organizations/ service: MSAD #15 School Board member (appointed March 2022), Family Crisis Center volunteer
Interests/ hobbies: My interests are wide ranging and include history, science, travel, art and etymology.
Family status: I have been married to my husband, Steve for 27 years. We have two children, ages 15 and 16.
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
Our school staff and administrators do a fantastic job of supporting our students and providing them an environment where they feel valued and safe. I would like to see an overall improvement in academic standings across the district for all subjects, particularly in mathematics, which has been a consistent weak area for a number of years.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
As a home schooling parent, I am frequently asked this question, and while there is not one particular issue that motivates me to run for School Board, I feel civic involvement is a responsibility we all share. Schooling at home and public school attendance are not mutually exclusive and when considering the options for service, my love of learning and home school experience make serving on the School Board a logical choice for me. I myself am a product of public education and I am proud of our district. In addition, as a member of the community, I have a vested interest in helping to achieve a fiscal balance between the needs of the district and the people of the community responsible to fund them.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
Our most pressing and difficult goal, from my perspective, is to solve the transportation issues we face. Beyond that, our district is blessed with great teachers and I believe our students have the potential for excellence. Therefore, my remaining two goals are to see our district raise the bar across all areas of academic expectations and to see that focus reflected in improved test scores going forward.
What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was literature. The value and influence of a well written work can never be erased.
LAURA JANE STURGIS
Occupation: Retired teacher of high school English. I also taught music, reading and math in GNG schools, was also a cost accountant for construction businesses and co-owner of Doc’s Diner in Auburn (now Rollie’s).
Education:
B.S. in Education from University of Maine Orono (UMO)
B.S .In Business with major in Accounting, UMO
M.Ed. in Education, UMO
Community organizations/ service
New Gloucester select board, 1 term
School board, completing one term
Interests/ hobbies
Quilting, reading
Family status: Widowed. Two grown children who graduated from GNG, both of whom went on to college. One is a teacher, the other a town manager
Social media: Facebook
What do you think our local schools are doing right to prepare students? What could be improved on?
I am very satisfied with what our schools are doing right now, especially with the fact that GNGHS has been named 12th best in the state. Continuing communication with the community is one of our goals. I ’m impressed with the way in which the district seeks input from students, families and teachers to make our education system as responsive as possible to support everyone’s success.
Is there a particular issue or interest that motivates you to run for the School Board?
I support very strongly the direction that our schools are taking. I support our long range plans. I want to be sure that this direction continues without bringing in national efforts to destroy public education. We have developed a five-year plan with input from teachers, students and families, and I want to continue to work on that. I’m chair of the policy committee and want to continue to prioritize and make sure policies are as supportive of the success of all of our stakeholders as possible. And I serve on the curriculum committee and want to continue to make sure our curriculum supports all students, helping them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. Our district, in addition to awards for academic and athletic achievement gives an award for kindness to graduating seniors. That says a lot.
What are three goals you want to accomplish during your term?
- To help to bring our five year plan to fruition.
- Continuing excellence in curriculum and policy, with a focus on supporting students’ critical thinking and problem solving.
- Supporting retention of our great staff of administrators and teachers
What was your favorite subject in school?
English!
