001Saco school board chair. I'm calling the meeting to order at 5:00 pm this Wednesday, May 28th, 2025. Please note we have all school board members in attendance with the exception of school board member Richards and school board member Truman. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance. All right, moving on to item three, which is the retirement recognition. Superintendent Ray. All right, we're lucky uh to have such a wonderful uh group of retirees this year that spent so many years in the district. um trying to rope them back in already to not do this, but uh a couple of them have made up their mind. Uh this is the pathway that they want to go. And so as a school community, we want to take a few minutes to call their principles forward. Uh and
002um say a few words about each employee and everything they've given to our children and to the district. um and honor them for, you know, lifetimes of commitment to SACO schools, kids, families, etc. Um so I'd like to ask Mr. Leank to please come forward first. Good evening everyone. I'm Wendy Leblanc, principal at Fairfield School. And tonight I have the honor and privilege to speak about Becky Marshall. And I'm going to try to breathe and not get too emotional. Becky is someone I truly love. She's a loved kindergarten teacher at Fairfield School. I've only had the privilege of knowing Becky for three years, but I feel like it's a lifetime because that's how she makes you feel. She makes you feel like you've known her forever. Becky's a teacher who brings joy, deep compassion into
003everything she does. In her final years of teaching, you I looked up from my office one day to see her crouching through the hallway, dressed up in a trench coat, glasses, a mustache, and a magnifying glass as she was looking for 100. and she had all of her students following behind her in the same costumes searching for the number 100. Another day I walked into her classroom and it was winter when it was the days felt really long and she all of her students were at the sink and I thought, "Uhoh, what's going on here?" Oh, Mrs. Marshall just doing a literacy activity with shaving cream in her final year of retirement. She also does super readers where every year she makes capes and costumes for te for students to excite them about reading and
004it comes with a little mask and she wears one too. And though these are things that we see, it's more than that for Mrs. Marshall. Her ability to support all learners maintaining a structure and joy and care in her classroom is a gift. She models patience, kindness, and consistency. Her students feel seen, supported, and loved. Over the last few days, I've been just asking staff, "When you think of Becky Marshall, what comes to mind?" I think my favorite one was, well, she is Fairfield. She represents everything Fairfield does. Love, strength, power with each other, team. Here are some other things that people said. She's the sunshine in our building. She's my family at school. She puts things in perspective. She's who I go to. She's my rock. She had my children, which you've had a
005lot of our staff members children. No matter what's going on in her life, you'd never know because when she walks up to you, she makes you feel like the most important thing in that moment. She's calm, centered, dependable, hardworking, kind, accepting, inclusive, gentle, and loving. And that those words were common from everybody I asked. She is going to be so missed. She's such a positive, wonderful, welcoming, accepting force in our school and the Fairfield community. As this is a huge loss for Fairfield, we're incredibly happy for Becky and her husband who now can plan extravagant and well-deserved vacations. And as she closes this chapter on her life, she leaves behind a legacy. And if you don't know Mrs. Marshall, then you should feel proud as a SACO community that we have an educator like her
006in our system. So, I want to thank you, thank Becky from the bottom of my heart and everyone at Fairfield for the lessons that she's taught us, the ways she shaped our lives, and the grace that she gives us every single day. So, congratulations. Words do not express how much you will be missed. [Applause] Good evening. I am April Noble. I'm the principal at CK Burns School and I'm here to honor two retirees. Unfortunately, they are not here tonight, but they're not here tonight because they do not like to be the center of attention. That being said, I want to make them the center of attention for just a few minutes. Tonight, we're going to take a moment to celebrate someone whose dedication has touched countless lives, numbers we cannot count. Joan, a champion for
007our students with special needs. She has served for many, many years uh on our edtech team. She has brought compassion, patience, and unwavering commitment to every student that she supports. She's quiet, she's strong, and she provides gentle guidance. and she's helped students not only learn, but she's built strong connections and helped them thrive. Joan, you've given families a piece of mind. You've supported teachers, and most importantly, you've helped students believe in themselves. Thank you. We're deeply grateful for the love and the light that you brought into our school. You've made a difference that will last a lifetime. The second retiree, Joe. The second retiree is someone that we need to honor who has impacted our entire district in an immeasurable way. Carrie Lamoth. After many years of extraordinary service as a classroom teacher, as an
008administrator, and most recently an incredible math coach, Carrie is closing this chapter, but her legacy will live on. Many of you know that when I arrived at Burns, she was serving as the interim building principal. Today, and for the past few weeks and right into her days of retirement, she's entered into the role of a fifth grade teacher in a time of need. These are just a few ways Carrie has done whatever it takes and has always stepped up for our children. Her unwavering support for students, her fearless advocacy for what is right, and her belief in every child's potential has shaped our schools and touched many hearts. She brought not only expertise, but she brought joy, filling our days with laughter. Yes, she can make anyone laugh at the best moments. Filling our days
009with laughter, encouragement, and the kind of energy that makes learning feel like magic. Carrie, thank you for leading with courage, teaching with heart, and never losing sight of what matters most, our children. You leave behind footsteps that are going to guide us all for many years to come. She does not like attention in this way, as you can tell because she's not here this evening, even though she prides herself at being every other event we've ever planned for students in SACO. I want to take this time to personally thank one of the best all-around educators I've known and someone I consider a friend. We will miss you deeply and we celebrate you with all our hearts, Carrie Lamoth. Good evening. Marie Susi, principal at Saco Middle School. Tonight, I have the privilege to recognize two
010outstanding women who have been the cornerstone of Sako Middle School for over two decades. I'll start with Lisa Ronco, who is someone has led Sako Middle School's physical education program for the past 26 years and has made a lasting impact on our school community. Lisa has dedicated more than two decades teaching, encouraging and challenging our students, always holding them to high standards because she believed in what they were capable of, even when they didn't see it themselves. She brought energy to every class, compassion to every conversation, and a deep sense of pride in doing her job well. But her impact didn't stop at the gym doors. She's recently worked to help create the SMS drone club and turned it into a space where students could explore and discover new passions. Lisa was also never afraid
011to think outside the box. Whether it was bringing in new programs or finding creative ways to engage students, she actively sought out grants to support fresh, exciting ideas like cross-country skiing and archery, opening up opportunities many of our students might not have otherwise experienced. Her determination to expand what was possible for our kids made our programs richer and more inclusive. And of course, there's Harley, the four-legged sidekick, whose wagging tail and warm presence brightened even the toughest days for students and staff alike. Lisa, your kindness, commitment, and high expectations have made us better as educators, as students, and as people. While we'll miss seeing you and Harley around campus, your legacy will stick with us. Thank you for everything and here's to a well-earned retirement filled with adventure, rest, and maybe a few drone flights.
012Congratulations. [Applause] And now on to someone who also doesn't like to be the center of attention. That's why she's right in the back row. I'd like to talk about Joan Holmes, whose care and kindness have touched every corner of Saco Middle School. For the past 22 years, Joan has been more than our school nurse. She's been a steady hand, a compassionate ear, and an advocate for our students. Her work has always been student centered. Whether it was a scraped knee, a sore throat, a tough day, or a broken heart, Joan was there with a band-aid, a kind word, or maybe even a snack that she purchased with her own money. She's a person who students turned to when they didn't know who else to talk to, and the one teachers sought out when we had
013our own mystery ailments or needed a little encouragement, comfort, or advice. She has a heart big enough to hold the entire school and a passion for helping others that's impossible to replace. Joan, thank you for your years of service, for always going the extra mile, and for reminding us all what it means to truly care. You've left a mark on this school that will last long after today. We wish you the happiest, healthiest, and welldeserved retirement, and we will miss you. [Applause] All right. Um, well, amazing. It's so gifted that we have so many wonderful educators, but I wish you all a happy retirement. With that, we're going to take a five minute break and we will reconvene for the next item on the agenda. [Applause] [Music] All All right. Okay. Yeah. Okay. All right,
014you guys ready? Okay, I'm going to bring us back into from our break. We're going to move on to item four, approval of schoolboard meeting minutes dated May 14th, 2025. Um there is a memo in the packet that shows the meeting minutes. Any motion at all for approval of schoolboard meeting minutes dated May 14th, 2025? School board member Waroff. I move we approve the school board meeting minutes May 14, 2025. All right. I have a motion on the table by school board member Waroff. Do I have a second? Second. Second by school board member KDR. Is there any discussion on the school board meeting minutes? Seeing no one seeking recognition, roll call vote. School board member Warnoff, yes. I vote yes. School board member Roach, abstain. Abstain. School board member KD, abstain. And school board
015member Johnston. Um, I have to abstain because I was not here for that meeting. All right. Uh, motion passes to with three abstensions. Okay, moving on to item five, adjustments to the agenda. There are none that I'm aware of this evening. Um, moving on to item six, which is correspondence. I did not have received any information on correspondence. Um, so moving on to item seven, which is public session. Please feel free to come before the school board and state your name and address for the record. And you have three minutes to speak. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you. Good evening. My name is Annie Ramsey. I live at 41 Tall Pines Drive, Sako, Maine. Um, I would like to start out by thanking the SACO school administrators for their support day
016in and day out of supporting the secretaries, supporting the special ed programs and the edte and looking out for the student needs and making sure needs are covered as best as they can with what we have with us. I'd like to thank the special education administration for working on job postings, for continuing to do community outreach, for open positions that we have in our school district. I also want to thank the special ed administration as well as the coast and paths program of the SACO schools for their amazing achievement of their meeting their million-doll goal which you'll be reviewing later and that is awesome. Good job. Um I'd also like to thank the students for a great 2024 2025 school year. It's been great having them there and they benefited so much from having such
017a caring, educated and dedicated staff around them um from the moment they walk into the school until the moment that they leave the school each day. Um I'm here to just advocate for stronger competitive wages for our educational technicians one, two, and threes for the secretaries and administrator assistants. I would also like to advocate for stronger health benefits and options. Uh, also I'd like to lastly thank the school board for listening and for opening lines of communication and I um, yeah, communication period. Um, is there uh, any misinformation in this public comment or anything that we want to make sure I'm clarifying, speaking truly for? Thank you. Have a good evening. Thank you very much. [Applause] Hi everybody. Uh I'm Nick Fuller. Um I teach in SACO. Um lucky teacher of 21 wonderful fourth graders.
018Um thank you all members of the board for being here today and I hope you get to enjoy some of the some of the sunshine later. Um I'm here also speaking in strong support of our edteex and secretaries. uh and really hoping um SACO can offer them some more competitive wages um and more competitive stronger health care options. Um I thought a useful way of of again showing just how vital edte the day-to-day life of a regular classroom is just to tell a little story of the past two weeks since I was last here. Um, one day I had um the edtech who's regularly in my classroom uh was unable to be there and uh because the program uh is also short staffed there was a substitute who's wonderful but was not a trained edtech
019and so when there was a behavioral issue that arose uh it escalated um and this was during my reading block and I had to cancel my whole reading block for my class. So 21 students, the reading lesson I had planned had to be put on hold compared to literally the next day um when my regularly trained and scheduled edtech was in the classroom. Behavioral issue professionally deescalated, classroom door closed, situation safe. I was able to continue with my reading lesson in a way so smoothly that a lot of the students hardly even noticed uh what had happened. Um, and that kind of that kind of work is what our edte do day in day out. And they really enable me as a classroom teacher to be able to teach my other students. So, our students
020really really need experienced edte. And in order to retain the edte we have that have so much experience and to hire strong new ones, um we have to be providing them with more competitive wages um and health care options that are going to want to make them stay here in SACO for our students. Um so I really hope we can we can do that. Thanks for your time very much. Good evening. My name is Tara Travis. I'm a resident of SACO and my daughters both went through um SACO schools and I am also here tonight to speak on behalf of the educational technicians and secretaries. Um I um am a special ed teacher. I've been teaching for over 30 years. I know you can't tell, but when I was um a student at Bridgewwater State
021College way back in the day, I was the proud president of the future teachers association. Whether I was young and dumb or what, I'm not quite sure, but one night we had a speaker and it was one of our professors who was also a teacher at the laboratory school attached to Bridgewwater State. And he said to us, "There are two people that are very important in your schools. The most important people. It's not the principal. It's not the superintendent. It's not even the school board." He said to us, "It's your secretary and your janitor." And I remember very clearly thinking at the time, of course, now in the 21st century, put the IT person on that list, but also the edte. Like I said, I'm a special ed teacher, so I know the value of
022well-trained, experienced, caring, thoughtful ed techs and what they do for students and for staff. I don't know what industry coined the phrase pay me now or pay more later, but I assure you paying and valuing these people today will save not only the taxpayers of SACO in the future, but also the students. They're the ones who pay the most. That gentleman just spoke about his reading class. That didn't happen that day because the edtech wasn't there. They are unsung heroes. They do things day in and day out, oftentimes well beyond what they are compensated for. I just can't thank you enough for listening tonight. And I really hope that they can come that you can come together with them for a strong and supportive associate um collective bargaining agreement. Thank you. [Applause] Hello. Good evening.
023I'm Noah Cotch. Uh I live at 15 Olympia a in Old Orchard. I am one of the special educators at CK Burns School. At CK Burns I lead the paths program which is one of the two day treatment programs involved in SACO schools. This year I'm fortunate to work with a dedicated team of five educational technician threes who are additionally cross-trained as behavioral health professionals. Last year I had eight team members and next year I may have as many as 10. My program simply could not function without our edex. Each one provides individualized one-on-one support to our students who medically qualify for day treatment services. Without this support, many of these students would require outofd placement in a specialty purpose private school, which on average would cost a taxpayer in saco close to $100,000 per
024student per school year. By contrast, at the highest pay tier, which is $27.50 50 cents per hour. A single edtech will earn $34,842.50 annually, meaning roughly three edte cost less than one out of district placement. Despite their immense value, even the most experienced edte in my program are living at the edge of poverty. Every member of my team works a second job and some hold a third. This isn't by choice, it's by necessity. The result for my team is staff who are overextended, fatigued, and constantly worried about making ends meet. The chronic strain makes it harder to be fully present for our students and increases the risk of burnout and injuries, a trend that has already deeply impacted school systems across the country. One unique program of our day treatment model in SACO is that
025some services are mainare reimburseable. We hit our goal for a thou or a million dollars this year. And for students who qualify, this district is reimbured approximately $72 per hour for BHP services, which is enough to cover the hourly wage of two and a half edex. While not all students qualify, excuse me, this revenue helps sustain special education programming and demonstrates the financial sensibility of investing in our support staff. I thank and I also urge the district leadership, school board, and our superintendent to respectfully complete contract negotiations with these providers that include a w live livable wage for our ed techs, secretaries, and other support staff. Their work is essential not only for the success of our students, but also for the financial stability of our district. Without them, the cost to taxpayers could soar
026and the quality of support that we're able to provide for our students, our most val vulnerable learners would significantly suffer. I thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you very much. Hi. Uh my name is Emily Heavina and I'm a teacher at CK Burns. Um, I am reading a letter that was written by a case manager from SACO schools that wishes to stay anonymous. So, I'm writing to highlight the essential role that support staff play in our educational environment. As a case manager, I rely heavily on the expertise of our support staff to effectively program for my students. The loss of additional support staff would significantly affect our school and the services we provide. Their contributions to our school community are invaluable. Support staff are crucial behavioral supports uh to our most challenging and
027vulnerable students. They provide academic lessons and assist those who struggle to understand the material or focus on tasks. They often have some of the most demanding responsibilities navigating multiple classrooms and working with a diverse range of students throughout the day. These individuals are a vital part of our school partic particularly within our special education programs. Unfortunately, support staff frequently do not receive the recognition that they deserve. They face daily challenges, often enduring difficult behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, and verbal abuse. Despite these challenges, they return to work each day motivated by their dedication to our students and the important work that they do. Currently, our support staff does not receive adequate compensation for their essential roles within SACO schools. This situation could have a significant impact on our students educational experience. It's imperative that
028we support our staff as they are essential in helping our most vulnerable students succeed. Thank you for considering these important issues. Anonymously, a case manager from Zaco schools. Very much. Hi, good evening. Kelly Morin, Dayton, Maine. Um, I am an edtech at CK Burns School and I appreciate your time listening to me speak. Um, I have had six years experience serving in the Sako School District. I'm reaching out to express my concern on behalf of myself and my fellow edte as we are currently working without a settled contract which is now extended for over a year. The lack of a finalized contract has created significant uncertainty for us as we plan for our personal and professional futures. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few key issues that I believe need to
029be addressed. Affordable health insurance. The current health insurance options available to us are not attainable for my spouse or partner. As such, I respectfully request that the district consider making health insurance more affordable and inclusive by allowing edte the option to add spouses or partners. Many edte, including myself, work second jobs to support our families. This unfortunately often conflicts with attending important district meetings such as schoolboard meetings, which are typically held during working hours. Childare and family responsibilities. In an effort to avoid costly child care, my husband and I works alternating shifts. This arrangement, while necessary, creates additional challenges and stresses, especially when it comes to attending district functions or meetings. As you are aware, edte play play a crucial role in the success of many programs in the district, particularly those related to inclusion
030and unified sports. Our contributions extend beyond the classroom, including assisting in field trips, lunchroom supervision, and providing support during recess. Without the dedication and support of edteex, many of these services would be difficult to sustain. Additionally, while the training provided to edte may not be equivalent to that of teachers, it is essential for ensuring the safety and well-being of students. I personally have had to intervene at situations where a student posed a danger to themselves or others and the training I received allowed me to address the situation quickly and effectively ensuring the safety of all involved. I believe like that all staff members within the district at text deserve to be treated with respect dignity and professionalism that is essential to maintaining a positive and productive work environment. We take pride in our roles and
031are committed to providing the best care for our students. It is vital that we are given the resources, support, and recognition we continue to do so. Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns, and I invite you all to come in and join me one day and see what we do. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, I'm Rachel Chandler and I work at CK Burns. Um, I'm very happy to be here in support of the edte and our secretaries. Um, I have just enjoyed every day with my edtech and I wanted to fight for better wages and for better health care options for them. Um, I am privileged to have my spouse and kids on mine and I can't imagine having a job where I put so much of my heart and soul into
032that I know that they do without that um as an option and having to get second or third jobs to help support their families. um with the edtech in my room, just the work that she does. Not only is she there for my student specifically that she's got the one-on-one time anytime she's able to, she also helps others around. She's deescalated situations. Um she's also helped me get back on track if I'm learning curriculum and not quite right. Um, she's a great collaborator and I hope that those open minds and hearts are listening to all of this. I appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Hi, my name is Joe. I am a just a SACO resident and homeowner. uh 33 Bradley Street. That's in ward 7. Um I came here today to just urge
033you to support the fair and just contract for the SACO edteex. Um I was really surprised to see that they had been working under uh without a a signed contract for over a year. Um even though I mean as you've heard today, they're vital to our schools and our students. um they say it best, but the one-on-one support, working with students with significant behavioral and academic challenges, it just keeps the classroom on track um safe and effective uh learning environment. Um the starting pay I hear is$,750 an hour and it's not competitive with neighboring districts, which means it's there are positions being unfilled, um some for the whole school year. Um, and I've seen that looking for jobs. Um, this means that critical positions are underst staffed and we're also losing experienced ed techs to
034other districts. Um, I wanted to speak personally about the health care. You know, I know what it's like to have inconsistent health care coverage and that's really distracting uh for your working environment. You know, and these are our students. This is our future. Um, our edte deserve a contract that truly reflects their critical role. Investing them then is a direct investment in our children and the strength of our schools. I implore you to take action and ensure they receive a fair contract, competitive wages, and adequate healthcare. Thank you. Thank you very much. [Applause] Seeing that I don't see anybody else is seeking recognition to speak before the board. Thank you for all of your comments. We will move on to item eight, the superintendent report. Superintendent Ray. So I do feel like just a couple
035of things that we should mention here because I know a couple of people mentioned it. Um, just clarify for you guys as a board, edte do have a contract and they signed an ex a one-year extension last year in negotiations with Beth and I. And just for the public, there's been no formal offer or something received to the school committee advocating for family health insurance from the association. So, I think we just have to have those those facts out there. Um, the health insurance piece hasn't changed. In 2021, when I came on board, people only got adult and child here. So, just want to make sure those things are correct um on those pieces. I think that's important for the public to understand that because you guys did settle a contract with them last year
036uh and have been doing a great job negotiating with them. Now, um negotiation. Vicky Cronin's outstanding and I think Beth, you've been sitting there. I think we're moving in the right direction. So, know that that we are moving in the right direction. May I just weigh in for a second? I just want to reiterate that I believe that everything that you just said is actually accurate information and I do believe that we are working towards a new contract. um um with all the best intentions in good faith. Thank you 100%. So want to highlight a couple of collaborations. Uh CK Burns UNE collaboration CK Burns School recently completed a successful collaboration uh with UNA through a year-long initiative thanks to a grant from the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in Maine. 13 UNE pre-ervice teachers
037were paired with CK Burns educators as part of math methods courses engaging in professional development classroom instruction and educational research. The partnership supports professional growth of future teachers, strengthens math instruction for students and opens the door for UN participation to return um as student teachers. Uh SMS um had some really exciting things where they brought over a hundred second graders from Fairfield and Young School. Uh they visited Sako Middle School uh this month for trail talks, an outdoor learning experience led by more than 50 seventh and eighth grade uh Sebago team students. The middle schoolers designed and taught interactive ecology lessons alongside SMS student build nature trails. So very exciting that that occurred. SMS Young School celebrates literacy collaboration. Saco Middle School recently partnered with Young School for a crossgrade level literacy event that brought
038kindergarten students to the SMS library to read with eighth grade buddies. The sixth graders spent weeks preparing for a visit, practicing readaloud strategies, and selecting picture books that would engage uh the young partners. Oh, we have so much going on. Um, MLTI conference. So, 50 students from Sako Middle School recently attended the MLT MLTI student conference at UMIANI, joining nearly a thousand students uh from across the state. Several SMS students led a drone technology session showcasing the skills they've developed through the school's MLTI grant, which funded the purchase of seven drones. Uh tonight you got to honor Lisa Ronco who's part of that big initiative uh with our students. Um some important dates, the PTO family night. CK Burns and young students are having their PTO family nights this Friday, uh, May 30th from 5:30
039to 7:30 and from 5:30 to 8 8:00 p.m. Uh, school budget vote, school budget vote is June 10th from 7 to 8:00 p.m. Um, last day of school is the 12th. Uh, and so there's a lot going on in the last couple of weeks. I I believe it's the 13th is our aid for soccer kids um mini golf event. Uh so if people um are around to go and join that, that would be great. Um that's from 12 to 7 at schooners. Um and so that's always a good uh fundraising event for our aid for soccer kids to help support students and families. Any questions? School board member Roach. Now, let's go back to the um public comments on the negotiations with support staff and edex. Um I missed last uh the last meeting and
040uh first and foremost um my respect I'll speak for myself but I believe this board who has kids in the school system that have had edtech IEP support. There is no daylight that this board supports our edteex and staff to the nth degree. So I want to make that clear and I'll speak personally. My wife is an edtech. Dear friends are edte. Family are edte and support staff at schools. And to hear last week someone who's not an edtech that knows better to to come up to that microphone and say that she had to remind us as a board how important edte are defeats the purpose of why they're why they're here to speak on behalf of them is totally counterintuitive to get a board member like myself I won't I won't speak for the
041rest of the board And it just negotiations that happened are to be kept in negotiations. And they're not even here. The the the leaders, whatever leadership here, they're not even here to hear our discussion right now. Maybe they can see it on video, but we've had meetings with empty chairs all all spring long during the budget. empty chairs when we were discussing our need to recruit more edte the rising health insurance costs over and over again and nothing nothing and to see that I am very disappointed very disappointed in the collaborative efforts that we have done all year throughout these last two or three years my time on the board I I am just very disappointed in that. And so from here, I'll ask the superintendent a couple questions to just try to help this
042move along and clear up confusion and all that. Uh this is for our attorney Tom, right? Is he he's the lead negoti? Yeah. So, um it's been brought up about living wage. I I certainly know that edte, you know, are, you know, just in general, uh, just don't don't make enough to, I would say, of course, live in saco and own a house by themselves, right? But can you just get for us what the definition of the of a living wage for this area is. And then on um this is maybe more for finance and the attorney, but um you know kind of like the if if health if health insurance now that we have the new costs of the health insurance policy, can we get very specific of what the costs are between, you
043know, spouse and family and and single? Yeah, I can actually that's a that's pretty easy for us to do. Um when you look at health insurance that is one of the biggest drivers uh in the budget and quite frankly whether it's school or whatever it's almost like there's a this health insurance crisis because when you look at um a situation where there are four plans available from Anthem the main benefits trust two of them added this Currently, an employee receives 85% as an edtech or a secretary of a single or adult and child. 84% of adult and child. And what that comes out to is the fact that you're looking at a cost that is an employee cost. Okay. of of a monthly piece of an adult and child is $1,800 a month and the
044employee pays $291 a month. That's I'm not no one's claiming that's affordable for an employee. That's that's tough on a single. Even when you look at a single uh you're looking at $154 a month for health insurance. And so when you look at some of the other plans that are out there, and I think that's what the hard part is, is that health insurance that we have in schools, we don't have health savings accounts like in a lot of other places or you don't have money that goes towards an deductible uh or or some of those premiums that there are some additional plans that are available to employees that are not part of our unit offered by the benefit trust with higher deductibles and lower out-ofpocket costs. And I think school departments and employees need
045to think about what that piece is. As I've reviewed some of them ourselves, you question like a full family health insurance policy at 100% for a SACO employee next year is $37,000 minus the 15%. We are at a health insurance crisis on affordability and that's not we're talking the whole package. And so I think it's difficult when you look at um you know whether it's 22 25 27 an hour that's a very difficult math problem to put together and have affordable health insurance and we have options to only those plans. Um just one quick followup. Um similar to to wages of neighbor um do we know how we compare currently not just wages but for health insurance to other communities? Yeah, I mean we have all of that data available that I can you know
046certainly present to you guys at a board meeting of uh everyone. We talk about that during negotiations. Um we're not unlike a lot of districts that don't have um a larger coverage plan for um support staff. Um I know some of the districts that you know for 13 years I've been the superintendent in Bford and it's a single only ever since I've been there. Um and so we can run all of those comparisons. We've got that you know for negotiations that we put out there so that everyone can see those things. I think over the last couple of years, we've talked about how the wage structure here in SACO for new employees is way too low. Uh, you know, we've made offers, we've done those pieces. We have to raise those wages for starting salary
047positions. Uh, and I think that that's what we, Beth and I and Sarah, as representatives with, uh, our attorneys are trying to do. Well, I mean, I just want to make it clear. I know people aren't here now, but we as a board publicly discuss privately to you everything the shortage of support staff and edteex here. I mean, we're doing everything possible to do that. It's not the opposite. We're not trying to scare away edex to other communities. Um, we hope part of it is SACO is a place where people want to be at anyway. um you know a place to nice place to live and everything but but you know we've been trying our darnest that you know to do that and we hope to get it through in negotiations but any implication that
048that no we're content no that you know it is just not accurate I mean we are not content this is almost like a every time we meet this this almost comes up so okay thank Any other questions for Superintendent Ray on the superintendent's report? All right, seeing no one seeking recognition. On to item nine, which is chair's report. I don't have anything new to report this evening. On to item 10, which is staff reports. There are none listed. Item 11, board subcommittee meeting minutes. Item A, policy and personnel committee. The next meeting is June 11th at 5:30m. Item B, finance and infrastructure comm excuse me, committee meeting is May 28th at 4:30 p.m. Um, and our item C, curriculum committee next meeting is 6:23 at 4:30 p.m. Any questions on the boards of committee meeting
049minutes? Uh, school board member Roach, just we were just joking that Did it change? Well, that was that's today. We had other things happening. Yeah. Right. So, is that okay? I mean, do we have to reschedule or Yeah, we we'll we'll pick it up next. Okay. That will be rescheduled. Item B, which is finance and infrastructure will be rescheduled. Any other questions, concerns on those items? Moving on to item 12, old business. There is none. Sliding right into item 13, new business. Item A, new hires. There is a memo in your packet for review. Do I have a motion? School board member Johnston? Thank you. I move we approve the nomination of William Temple, art teacher at Fairfield and Young School, and issue a contract for the 2526 school year. I have a motion on
050the table for school board member Johnston. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by school board member Ker. And any discussion on the motion, seeing that there's no discussion on the motion, roll call vote. School board member Waroff, yes. I vote yes. School board member Roach, yes. School board member KD, yes. School board member Johnston, yes. Motion passes 5 Z. All right, moving on to item. Bear with me one second. I apologize. Oh, item B, resignations. There it is. Do I have a motion? School board member Johnston. Thank you. I move we accept the resignation of Kelly Frey, special education teacher at Sako Middle School, and Michael Edgar, assistant principal at Sako Middle School, effective at the end of the 2526 school year. I have a motion by school board member Johnston.
051Do I have a second? Second. SK, excuse me. Second by school board member KD. Any discussion on the motion? All right. Roll call vote. School board member Waroff, yes. I vote yes. School board member Roach, yes. School board member KD, yes. School board member Johnston, yes. Motion passes. 5. Moving on to item C, partnership with USM. Superintendent, oh, excuse me, assistant superintendent Parkhurst. Hello. Thank you. Um, I would like to invite our special services director, Dr. Jessica Clark, and uh, USM representative, Dr. Walt, Walter Kimble, to talk a little bit about a really exciting program. I'll just add that since the writing of this memo, um, Jessica was able to facilitate today two separate meetings with, I think, over a total of over 30 staff members as mentors or mentees interested in this program. So,
052um, really excited about what they have to offer and they'll just tell you a little bit about the program and answer any questions you have. All right, this is Dr. Kimell. He's going to tell you all the great stuff. I'm just here as the SACO person. Great. All right. Uh, my name is Walter Kimell. I'm on the faculty at the University of Southern Maine in the special education department. I've been at USM for 37 years. I worked in SACO, at Burns, the middle school, several other schools with student teachers, other folks preparing to be teachers. So, it's been a pleasure to work in SACO. I've enjoyed it a lot. I'm here to speak about an opportunity for work workforce development. It's the registered teacher apprenticeship program that is uh was founded by the Department of
053Labor in Washington. It's a fully vetted um preparation workforce development program. There have been apprenticeships forever in trades, carpentry, electricity, teaching joined apprenticeship as an occupation in 2022 in the state of Tennessee. Since that time, there are close to 40 states that have adopted teacher apprenticeship programs. Teacher apprenticeship is a pathway to full teacher certification for employees of school districts. So for SACO that would mean that it's a pathway to full professional teacher certification for your instructional support staff. Apprenticeship is based on three questions. First question is, do you have instructional support staff in SACO that would like to be teachers? Second question is for you and the administration, are there folks that are working with the SACO students now as instructional support staff who you think would make great teachers? And then question three
054is, can we provide a pathway to teacher certification for those individuals while they're fully employed by the SACO school department? Registered teacher apprenticeship is a way to do just that. I'm here representing USM, but I'm also here representing the department main department of labor. Um, the University of Southern Maine has an apprenticeship sponsorship program. So, I'm the coordinator of that of that program. So, I'm both representing the Department of Labor and I'm representing the University of Southern Maine. There's a memo in your packet. Memo in your packet. I won't repeat it. Um, I think I'm here just for like an overview or to answer questions or just kind of get things started. We had a great meeting. Um remember Johnston was at the meeting. Um good to meet Beth and uh we had our first
055meeting. I thought it was successful um successful meeting to see what can happen in SACO. Um I was invited to come here to put a face with a program which is always a good idea. Um and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. I think we're going to proceed with um if we can make it work, a launch date of September of 2025. Um I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. I have a quick question. Um when you have a when you say you have mentors, um do you do like a train the trainer type instruction? Yes. So, um, SACO already has a mentor system for new teachers, for support staff. It's not exactly like that, but it kind of is the same in concept. You have an individual that gains
056skills, gains knowledge by working with an experienced educator in SACO. It's that same connection. Um the reason it's different is because the uh mentor or the apprentice uh is also working for development but also working on evaluating the competencies that are needed for teaching. So it really is a dual role. Some people think there's a conflict between those roles. I think you can make a philosophical argument for that, but um we've not had an issue we've not had an issue with that um dual dual role. It really is an important role for the mentor and for the staff. Um we're currently working in Oldtown um Gorum SAD6 Hyram SD55 we're working in multiple districts across the state and what we're finding is that for the mentoring of the uh teacher apprentice it does make a
057difference that the mentor is working with a colleague. So not a student teacher, not a paid intern, not a guest in the school to help them become a teacher, but actually working with a colleague who was on the staff of that particular of that particular school. Another question, are you finding in the other communities that you're working in that um the edte are coming forward wanting to do this? What's the adoption rate, I guess? Yeah. Um Oldtown had an information session. Um, right now we're starting with special education. Apprenticeship isn't isn't limited to special education, but we're starting with special education. We want to don't want to do too much too fast. Um, and in Oldtown, they had an information session. uh they had and this was across certification uh elementary ed, secondary ed, they
058had 35 people at the information session and I've already talked with eight of those individuals about special education teaching. Thank you. All righty. Oh, school board member KDR. Um so obviously we've had quite a bit of discourse over the past couple meetings about the lack of support staff in general. How does that look for their schedules? like say they're somebody who typically is one-on-one with one student and then they are part of this apprentice program. How does that look for their day-to-day? So, um that's an excellent question. Special education grouping, special education instructional scheduling, it's everything you can imagine. It's individual. It's small group. It might be in a special education classroom. It might be in the fourth grade classroom. It really is all over the place. So, we really try hard to provide that
059array of experiences. Um, to be more specific, it is very difficult to go through the apprenticeship when you're a one-on-one edte assigned to one student. That's your entire job. That's what you do each day. It's very difficult to do that. Um, we've had instances where we have had one-on-one edtech employees and we've been able to work into that some uh group teaching, small groupoup teaching. We we've been able to we've been able to kind of figure that out, but strictly it's one-on-one. You follow the student. That's all you do for your job. That really doesn't work for the apprenticeship. We'll remember Johnston. Thank you. I want to just say that I was very enthusiastic attending the meeting a week plus ago to hear about this program. And one of the things that I find very
060exciting about it is that it's open to so many individuals who want eventually to become teachers in this capacity. And also I think it's really exciting the the mentoring the way you've explained the mentoring. I feel like that is such a cooperative and personal communication between the mentor and the mentee. I think that's right. um that I think it would be really encouraging those who want to get that certification to um not feel discouraged about the process. So, um I'm just going to say that I really do support this idea and I hope and I think the fact that it's really open to so many people who might decide that they want to do it that we will get good responses and I guess um we'll hear more about that when Jessica gets up to
061the microphone because some new things have happened today. It's exciting. Thank you. So we call those entry points. Excellent comment. We call those entry points and we can actually start the apprenticeship. So there is actually a program called pre-apprenticeship. So if SACO's interested, we could actually be working at Thornon Academy with high school students who would aspire to be a teacher. That wouldn't be full apprenticeship. That would be pre-apprenticeship, but it would be an apprenticeship like giving them experience. We can work with folks who are just starting their undergraduate degree. We can work with folks who are almost done their undergraduate degree. We can work with folks who have finished their undergraduate degree and have a bachelor's already. We can work with any of those folks in the apprenticeship and figure out where they would
062where they would start. Schoolboard member Roach. Yeah. Thanks. Thanks for mentioning that at the end because you started this u speech on uh workforce development and personally it's a it's a big thing. I I feel like in high schools the fifth block should be just going to you know it's not may not be their career yet but just get out there and and be there. So, uh, we don't cover, uh, Thornton Academy from the board here, but just speaking for high schools in general, are you working currently with high schools to get kids interested into education? So, that first say edtech to then undergrad to go to USM and then into, are you currently doing that? No, we launch our first pre-apprenticeship with the Gorum School Department uh fall of 2025. Um I know Superintendent
063Heather Perry will talk to anyone about what she's doing. So she would be very happy, I know, to speak with any administrator, any schoolboard member. Uh the planning is almost done, so we're ready to launch. Um we're ready to launch next fall. The pre-apprenticeship we're launching in Gorum includes early college. So it includes credit. It includes early college credit for students who are interested in being teachers. So they'll earn the Gorm High School seniors, maybe a junior or two will earn um beginning undergraduate college, will take courses taught by a Gorum school department. uh faculty member um for the first credits of their undergraduate career. Well, I know Thornton's competitive with Gorum, so I'm going to tell him this. Make sure any other questions? I'll just answer a few of the questions. Uh Melissa Cami
064from TA was at our original meeting, so she's aware of the information. Um so it might be something we pursue. uh after the meetings today, we have two candidates that are interested in starting and we're we have multiple mentors that have shown or expressed interest for the fall, but we have two candidates ready to go for the fall. Um and after today, I had seven more interested. So, I think it's just a matter of time, but we definitely have the interest and mentor capacity. So, we're really excited. Fantastic. Thank you. All right. Moving on to item D, main care update. Superintendent Ray. Okay. As you can see from the memo in your packet, um it was a long goal established a while ago that we would get to the point of a million dollars worth
065of main care billing. Um and Jess and her team and everybody there has worked really hard on that goal. Um, and I suspect that probably since we wrote this memo, we're like they I know that the other day I got a text and it's like997. Um, and so we're probably there at this point, but um, you know, we only had budgeted about $400,000 in revenue, so we'll be pretty revenue high this year. Um, but it's just excellent work that you know, took a long time coming, but we got to the point. um and just need to honor the success and recognize the success that the department's had um getting to that point. Any questions for Superintendent Ray on main care update? All right, no questions. Moving on to item E, building update, site viewing and
066open house. Super exciting, Superintendent Ray. Yeah. So, um, one of the things we talked about, uh, was getting an opportunity for people to come and join us on the site, and that date is June 3rd from 3 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Um, all the trees have been removed. We're really hopeful that there is going to be some stakes in the ground that people will be able to walk around on site um, and be able to say, "Okay, I'm looking at the picture of where the front door would be." Um, one of the things I need to remind people because this is open is that parking is very limited uh and the access is along Route One. Um so if you are interested in joining us, we are trying to work on some transportation options um
067to the site um so we can shuttle some people because there won't be enough room for cars and I think we're that's been a little bit difficult for us. Um, but we'll probably talk to a couple of other uh options that may be available for us um to get people out there because it's really exciting to kind of go out through the road and be like, okay, this is where it's going to be now. Um, it's a big milestone and let's hope that we don't have a ton of rain over the next couple of days because it is pretty soft out there. Um, so if you do come, uh, come dressed to walk through the woods, um, have some boots on, uh, and hopefully get an idea of, uh, where the new school will be,
068um, in about three years. Any questions for Superintendent Ray, school board member Roach? Yeah, Jeremy, you asked, you said um, that all the trees are now cut down. Um, in terms of access, um, you know, it's a little bit tight and a little bit dangerous to pull over on Route One. Um, if we cut the trees down, was there any thing rule that we couldn't just thrash the the the grass and the the prickly bushes to get in for Milbrook? Because Yeah. Well, I think um, we had a pretty tight plan that we had to follow in that first piece because not all of the permitting was done for some of the wetland aspect. And then the other piece about because we had that conversation about like thrashing it down. Um we're hoping that people
069won't walk through the tall grass just because of the amount of ticks that are around this time of year. We'll have tick spray available and on site. Um but we also just have to be careful about people's safety and walking and that's you know it's pretty it's it's a good road walking the other direction um for right now. And so again, we hope to have some opportunities where we can have some off-site parking for people. We've got a couple more possibilities that we're going to reach out to later this week and then we can announce. And just not not for like the sitewalk, but in terms of construction, um you know, to hopefully the energy tax credits hold. Is there something to do beyond cutting the trees to make sure we would qualify within the
070federal fiscal year? And if so, what would that be? What would what would we do? So, that seems very up in the air right now. Yeah. Um I know that the package in um big beautiful bill talks about 60 days of starting uh with passage of that. We're trying to understand what starting means because I would say clearing the land is the start before you can do anything else. Um but we're working with a um consultant to try to figure out exactly what start means. Yeah. Because if the house language stays as is, which is I think unlikely, but if it does stay as is, the worst case scenario is that 60 days. Correct. So we could still get it qualify. Yeah. Okay. I think we'd be very aggressive at that point. School board member
071KDR, um, just a question about the timing of it. Is there any talk about doing another one maybe on a weekend or outside of typical working hours just so there might be a little bit more of a crowd? Yes. And maybe I think we wanted to see this first because we're a little bit worried about the crowd piece just because we don't have much parking. Um certainly once there is um groundbreaking which will hopefully knock on wood be this fall there will be a lot more uh option to do that. Uh but we can see and get some feedback and see what's uh next. We again we just had kind of promised that we'd do something before the end of the school year and then just got washed out all last month. Um and it's
072still probably going to be pretty yucky in there uh as we go. So, but yeah, I mean I think our goal is to have something for the public in the future. See how this one goes. See how we would deal with parking and see what would be the next steps. Thank you, school board member Johnston. Okay, so this is pretty exciting. Um I'm still trying to catch up with a couple of details though. So, Mr. Superintendent, is this something that the public is being invited to at this point in time or not yet? Yeah, anybody can join us. Our real hope was to get staff out there. Yeah. Um Okay. So that they can start to envision what it would look like. The public is welcome to attend. Uh we were hoping to have parking
073details by this date, but again we'd need to pivot a little bit. Um and trying to look at what would be access for because as you know that parking lot probably will hold like 20 cars max. Um and certainly people could park along the roadway maybe on Milbrook and walk over. Uh but that's just tough. It's tough. There's not much sidewalk over there. And again, I qualify this. I am a business neighbor to where this is. Um, and there is uh if you parked on Milbrook but did not go into the area from Milbrook. There is no sidewalk in Route One. Yeah. It is like that that's treacherous. I'd rather rather get a tick than risk that walk. So, but yeah. Although I will say if you do decide to do that or not drive,
074we got the lovely Eastern Trail that lets off at Milbrook. So if you'd like to take uh from say TA after school and take a nice bike ride, get off at the Millbrook entrance there. And uh yeah, well, by the way, this is not any self-promotion, but um there's a 5K down there this Saturday. So, if you're not um doing anything else, um not that I've signed up, but that would be a good also view of how how everything is close right there. The school is right the land is right close to the Eastern Trail, of course. Thanks. All right. Any other questions for Superintendent Ray? Okay, moving on to item F, budget validation community letter. Superintendent Ray. So, I just wanted to preview a letter that I would be sending out uh to the
075media and and the public um about some of the work that we've done uh on the budget process, where we stand, the impact uh and that you'll have an opportunity on June 10th to vote uh on the budget, and we appreciate everyone coming out. I know that probably won't have the same turnout that we had last year when we were voting on a school, but it would be great if 4,000 residents came out uh for a budget validation vote. Uh which typically doesn't happen. Um but this is just more informationformational um for you guys and for the public. All right, any questions for Superintendent Ray on budget validation community letter? All right, moving moving on to item G, legislative update. Superintendent Ray. So, there's a number of bills um that we've been following that we
076just wanted to make sure um people understood uh and that um these are the ones that we are watching around student transfers, overtime pay, deferred legislation. Um I there was kind of a a big vote where they wrapped all of the funding bills that we had been working on into um LD 318 uh which will be about um funding formula and a comprehensive review. So all of those pieces will go together and they've asked for a formal recommendation for changes to uh the EPS formula which is a pretty big deal uh to get that going. So, just a bunch of the bills that we're watching and trying to pay attention to and want to bring it to your attention. Okay. Any questions for Superintendent Ray on legislative updates? School board member Johnston? I don't have
077a question right now, but I just want to say thank you, Superintendent Ray, for staying so attuned to what is going on with um in the, you know, in Augusta with the legislature and the bills that are being put forward because I think it's one amazingly important and two, you're obviously very involved in it. So, I just want to thank you for that. Thank you, Beth. But I'd also just um it's important to recognize that Meg is also extremely involved in the legislative committee uh as a member of the MSSA legislative committee and does a ton of work um meeting every single week uh with other superintendents from around the state um and really going through all of these bills. So um I think we've learned as an administrative team that not only is it
078important to pay attention to the language, but also advocate uh and let our voice be heard. So, thank you very much, but want to make sure that Meg was recognized as well. And I definitely want to give Meg the credit where it's due to her, but I just wanted to say in general that I appreciate your invol both of your involvements with this because it's so important. Um, it has such an effect on what we do in education and sometimes I feel like nobody is paying attention. You guys are great. Thank you. School board member Roach. I'll just reiterate the thank you for both of you and and administration for uh staying close to these bills. two of these bills kind of address what was discussed earlier in public comment. Um, and I know you
079guys have been on the front lines trying to push um the uh the uh state calculation to more include special education needs of a community which would help again fund uh that support. And then also um you know the transferring of students and making sure that services are provided for you know our citizens uh who live here and making sure that you know um you have the best discretion to make sure we we we take care of our our kids. So, um, you know, so thank you for giving us updates on these bills because it's a direct correlation to what we can we can uh support and afford and and uh grow our health of our schools. Thanks. All right. Any other questions or comments? All right. Moving on to item 14, other information. I
080did not see any brought to my attention. So, moving on to item 15, executive session. There was none this evening. So, we can move on to item 16, which is adjournment. Um, is there a motion? School board member Johnston. So moved. All right. Is there a second? Second. School board member KD. All right. I have a motion by school board member Johnston with a second by school board member Kder. I'm going to assume no discussion on adjournment. So we can move on to roll call vote. School board member Waroff, yes. I vote yes. School board member Roach, yes. School board member KD, yes. And school board member Johnston, yes. Motion passes 50 to adjourn at 6:26 p.m. Thank you and have a great evening.