001Goodbye. Good evening and welcome to the Scarboro School board business meeting. The date is April 2nd, 2026. Um, can we have the uh, everyone join me with the pledge of allegiance, please? One day I'll get it right. >> One day. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. Agenda item 1.3 is attendance. Ray, would you mind calling the attendance? >> Yes, Miss Jacobs. >> Uh, she's been excused. >> Mr. Keller >> here. >> Senstrom >> here. >> Uh Miss Mau >> here. >> Mr. Rockensty >> here. >> Miss Tarpenian >> here. >> Mr. Trapy Huff >> here. >> Mr. Skina. >> Uh she's been excused, pardon me. >> And
002Miss Glorette >> here. >> All right. Thank you so much. Um agenda item 1.4 is the March 5th, 2026 and March 19th, 2026 business meeting minutes. If there are no objections, we will approve them as presented. All right. Hearing none. Thank you. Agenda item 2.0 is resignations, retirements, and new hires. Um there's no board action for this. Uh you can refer to the March 2026 resignation um document that is in our materials. Agenda item 3.0 are adjustments to the agenda. I don't have any any other adjustments this evening. >> No. >> All right. Agenda item 4.0 are presentations. 4.1 is a student spotlight awards. So Sarah, we'll turn it over to you. The student spotlight award winner for April is Hugo Meisner. >> Um, if Hugo and his teachers would like to come up and
003maybe say a few words. Come over here to this the microphone. >> Um, hi. My name is Carrie Bracy. I am one of uh Hugo's teachers this year in seventh grade at the middle school. And we nominated Hugo for this award because of his outstanding leadership abilities, his in his character, his um kind of steady integrity that he brings to our team. Um he's always willing to go above and beyond. He brings so much joy and happiness to our team as well as um an amazing amount of insight in learning. And I think one thing that really stands out about Hugo is that he is this natural leader, but he's not a loud in-your-face type of leader. It's a quiet leadership. Um that he models doing the right thing, being self-directed um and regulated all
004the time. And we're part of an integrated program at the middle school and we do a lot of outdoors education and the responsibility factor is huge. So Hugo from day one started demonstrating this leadership and he has been just such a valuable leader to us and he's just an all-around great kid. >> Do you would you like to say something? >> You don't have to. No. Thanks. We >> take a picture first. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, very nice. Congratulations, Hugo. >> All right. Agenda item 4.2. to is a Scarboro High School special interest and social groups social clubs, excuse me. So for this we'll invite Mike Le Gage and Nicole. >> Could I see Nicole? >> All right. Thank you for having us again. We'll get right started with everything and we'll have the art club
005and this is Landry Fowler come up first. Good evening members of the school board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Aaron Landry Fowler and I am one of the art teachers at Scarboro High School as well as the chair of the fine arts department. I also serve as the art club advisor. And I'm happy to share some highlights of our club, not only as a creative outlet, but as a space that supports students sense of belonging and overall well-being within our school community. Uh, the Scarboro High School Art Club meets weekly on Fridays after school in my classroom in the adjacent computer lab with an average of about 25 students at each meeting. During our meetings, we engage in a wide variety of art activities, typically alternating between planned group
006projects and open studio time. Students have designed buttons, experimented with embroidery, created marble paper, carved stamps, collaborated on murals, and tie-dyed t-shirts among many other things. While activities are open to everyone, students are also welcome to work independently, giving them the freedom to explore their own creative interests. One of the annual highlights is the art club calendar fundraiser, and I brought one here today. So, um, uh, each year I compile a calendar featuring student artwork, um, and we sell this to friends and family members and, uh, teachers as well. Whoops. This year, we raised over $800 to support art club supplies and activities. Beyond fundraising, this project gives students a sense of pride and ownership as they see their work published and shared within the community. We have also had strong participation in the Scholastic
007Art Awards. Seven of our members earned gold key, silver key, and/or honorable mention distinctions this year. Their work was exhibited at the main college of art this past month where they were recognized at a state at a statewide awards ceremony. Additionally, two students currently have work on display at the main excellence and art education show at the state house in Augusta. The art club also collaborates with other SHs clubs helping to build connections across our school community. This year we partnered with the civil rights club for their on their shoulders program which featured visiting artist Ti titi debakarat. He shared both his artwork and his inspiring life story, invited our students to interact with him and transform his sculptures. Experiences like this expose students to new perspectives and show them how art can be a
008powerful tool for storytelling and social connection. While these activities and accomplishments are meaningful, what truly sets the art club apart is the sense of belonging it fosters. For many students, this is a space where they feel comfortable, supported, and valued. It provides opportunities to engage in the arts beyond the school day, connect with peers who share their interests, and build friendships that extend beyond the classroom. The art club is more than just a creative space. It is a joyful and supportive experience that helps students feel connected to their school and to one another. Thank you for your time and for your continued support of the arts at Scar Bro High School and Mrs. Lejoy with Buddy System. Come closer. >> Hi, I'm Michella Joy. I am an occupational therapist here in the district and I
009split my time between Bluepoint School and the high school. So, I have the two ends of the spectrum um educational spectrum. Here with me today is Thea Commtock. She is a four-year buddy system member and a member two-year member of our leadership board. And Ava Dolan, another four-year member of buddy system, new to our leadership team this year. And Ava's also taken um an active role in some of our other unified programming, specifically volleyball, and as a volleyball coach, uh captain, excuse me, this year. Um the buddy system, I'm going to put on my glasses. Hang on. The buddy system is dedicated to social inclusion of all students regardless of learning um neurological and or physical differences. Um unified programs like buddy system bring students with and without difficulties or differences um together for academics,
010sports and social experiences and promoting understanding, respect and belonging. We have the leadership board that's made up of both specialed and general ed students. This team helps plan our monthly meetings which are generally um fun and social activities to support building of inclusive friendships. And during those meetings, we also plan school-based awareness activities. We have over 40 members. Um, so I've had to get really creative with meeting spaces. We don't just fit in a classroom anymore. Um, so that's been very exciting. We sent 12 students to the youth leadership summit in November, which is the largest group we've sent. So very exciting. Um, students are very interested in joining the leadership opportunities that are being offered um, both general ed and special ed students. Um, our students organized fans in the stands, which is our
011effort to get individuals, students and teachers and families um to our unified sport opportunities. Um, we have three in the district or three seasons as most of you may know. Just this past um March or this past month, we uh participated in the national spread the word campaign and this year's campaign was you belong. So our students made posters, put them around the school, um the middle school and Wentworth also participated in this activity. Um, Buddy System co co-hosts a weekly lunch with uh Morrison Center uh which is just down the road from here. So they have an opportunity to join us and have some um experience with our high school students both special ed and general ed. Um, as a group, our students participation in inclusive and unified activities outside of the high school
012has exploded recently. We have members who are special Olympic partners. We have members who are um, special surfer partners. We have members who are adaptive ski partners. We have members who are participating in the Strive Rocks marathon coming up. Um, for those of you who don't know, Strive is a community-based resource and program that provides um programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities, young adults specifically. We currently have four students, two unified pairs applying for Maine Special Olympics youth activation committee and if nominated they're sitting for interviews in the next couple weeks. Um they will be representing us Scarbor High Scarbo is a community at the state level. So taking their passion for inclusion and understanding and um unified programming and impacting that at a state level. So that's really exciting and this is a new
013opportunity that our students have decided to try to take on. Um so as an educator when I stand here in front of you and I say this programming is this unified programming buddy system unified sports is amazing and essential and changing the culture of not only our school but also our larger community because our students are taking these skills and applying them. And what is more gratifying as educators than seeing our student take something they learned with us and bring it to the bigger community? So, thank you again for supporting that. We appreciate you. >> Miss Shupe with Civil Rights Club. Good evening. Today I'm proud to share the work of our civil rights club and the meaningful impact it continues to have within our school and community. And I'm joined by Madame President Blair
014Hartley and member Liam Goel. We began the year in September by collaborating with Mrs. Crosby in community night at Wentworth School. Our students created this idea two years ago and they have stepped up as leaders helping families navigate important back- to-school tools like powers school and family ID. What made this especially powerful was the presence of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds ensuring that every family felt welcomed, supported, and understood. In October, we hosted our 8th annual voter registration drive in partnership with the Scarboro town clerk. Thanks to the dedication of our students, over 40 new voters were registered, an incredible example of civic engagement in action. Throughout the year, we've strengthened our connection with the K5 literacy team through our Red Storm Reads initiative. Each month, students create videos highlighting books from our
015libraries and the Department of Education's Pine Project. They reflect the diversity of our school community across ethn ethnicity, ability, gender, and identity. We've also shared full-length readalouds, centering voices from historically excluded communities and ensuring that all students can see themselves represented in literature. From December through April, April, we've been able to build intergener intergenerational connections by welcoming four inspiring community members through our on their shoulders program. The on their shoulders program is made possible by our grants for change grant that we were uh um that we received two years ago through main initiatives and the inspiration for on their shoulders uh at in 2020 February right before everything fell apart um at UNE Dr. Angela Davis who is a landmark civil rights activist. Um she was giving a presentation and um a member of the
016audience asked the question how do you express the why do you think intergenerational work is important um when people tell us young young ones um that you stand on the shoulders of giants. So essentially respect us because we're your elders. And Dr. Davis said, "Well, I would say to them, if you stand, if the youth stand on our shoulders, then they can see farther than we can." And so, the students chose that phrase on their shoulders for this mentorship program. The the mentors are all Maine-based local uh I mean local to Maine. Um professionals in their um presentation topic, like that's how they make their living. um and dedicated to building relationships and the skills and um confidence of youth. These included multi-disiplinary African artist TTJ Bakarat where we worked with the uh art club.
017That was a really exciting uh collaboration because he was also in residence for the week. And so it was really uh neat confluence that was unplanned. It was an unintended benefit that the art hallway and the ESL hallway, the MLL hallway is the same hallway. Um because our students were just able to come in and talk to TT uh who's from Ghana and it was really moving. It was really an incredible situation. So really grateful to Aaron for that. Uh also Mecca professor and photographer Tabitha Blanchard. And we did that in conjunction with our photography teacher, poet and scholar, Professor Ian Cara Alisante, who is um a uh um poetry professor and gender studies professor at Bates and a US uh attorney for the Department of Justice, Alli Yang Green. Though I will say because
018she's an attorney, and this is important, she does not represent the Department of Justice or the White House administration. She is there in her capacity as a community member. So, I just thought I'd put point that out. Each brought unique perspectives on identity, creativity, and justice, helping our students better understand both themselves and the world around them. We also continue to host uh guest speakers who just for you know an hour at the club meeting we'll zoom in such as wildlife biologist Suanne Shup who is a member of the society of American foresters who's going to help us explore the connection between environmental issues and social justice in collaboration with the ECOS club. In addition, we partnered with student council to address everyday concerns within our school working to improve bathroom conditions and expand access
019to menstrual products for all students in more locations. Monthly, our club shares information about the many communities represented in our school through posters and slide deck presentations, helping to build awareness and inclusion every day. For the fourth year, we are proud to continue our annual collaboration with poet Maya Williams, whose workshops have inspired award-winning student publications by our SHS poets recognized by the main writers and publishers alliance in 2025. Finally, we have put social justice into action by creating and distributing activity and craft bags for the siblings of our students who were scared to leave their homes during ISIS operation clean sweep. We have since begun to expand this care by connecting with the K2 principles so that that we can create a cache of these awesome craft bags for all of our young lightning
020bolts. I'm not sure what we call our little red stormers. So, lightning bolts. Okay. Together, these efforts reflect the mission of the Civil Rights Club to educate, to advocate, and to build a more inclusive and compassionate community. Thank you. Okay. EOS Club is the advisers are Mrs. Vasnik and Miss Brown. They couldn't be here tonight, but they left me um something to share with you about their club. The Environmental Club of Scabber High School or ECOS at at the high school was founded by students in 2004. Introducing recycling before it became standard practice. Now with 80 members, the club meets weekly, engaging 20 to 30 students in recycling efforts throughout the school and maintaining the high school courtyard garden. Meetings also connect students to additional projects including partnerships with sustainable scro land trust and the
021main as well as ecosled educational outreach and advocacy initiatives. ECOS is guided by a student elected board that meets bi-weekly and works closely with adviserss to coordinate projects, meetings, and committee efforts. Auxiliary members are invited to join as needed, supporting leadership development and broadening student involvement. members contribute to the school and community by volunteering at the annual senior citizen dinner and delivering sustainability education programs to Wentworth students. They also promote responsible recycling practices within the high school, helping to build a culture of environmental stewardship. fundraised through clink bottle deposits. Have fundraising through clink bottle deposits have supported initiatives such as the hand dryers at the high school, water refill stations, and courtyard garden donations to environmental organizations, custodian recognition, and student awards and club activities. EOS has consistently led sustainability efforts at the high school.
022Early initiatives, including promoting plastic bag reuse before widespread adoption of reusable bags were in place. The club introduced cafeteria composting through garbage to gardens in 2018 and again in 2024, raising awareness about composting while gaining insight into the challenges of large-scale implementation. Collaboration with facilities and maintenance and school administration was essential. And although the program proved unsustainable at scale, it successfully increased awareness and participation at home. In 2006, EOS partnered with Key Club to transform the courtyard into an organic garden with support from staff, students, and local donors. In 2018, the space extended expanded to include permaculture practices, raised beds, and fruit trees. The garden continues to be maintained in support from other clubs and facilities and maintenance department. This year, students are collaborating with volunteers from Piper Shores, gaining mentorship in garden care, native
023and invasive species management, and participating in learning opportunities with the wild seed project. ECOS's members have also engaged in statewide environmental leadership opportunities, including attending the climate and me youth leadership summit in April of 2025. The club was invited to additional events in 2025 and hopes to expand participation in the future. Eco strives to Eco continues to thrive through student leadership, active membership, and dedicated advising that supports peer mentoring and leadership development. The club is grateful for the continued support of the board of education, Miss Legage, and Nicole Maro for their support of ECOS. And the ECOS board members are President Dylan Jenkins, Vice President Eleanor Defreeze, Secretary Avery Bastion, communications coordinator Ella Herszburg, treasurer Olivia O. Auxiliary members are Hannah Colbreth and Lucy Johnson. So they want to share that sources of strength. Uh,
024Miss Annabiel had prepared to be here and really at the last minute had a uh personal issue she had to attend to and so she asked me to um share this with you. The sources of strength or SOS is a nationwide student-led program focused on suicide prevention and meth mental health promotion. It is a strength-based evidenceinformed model designed for students from elementary through high school. Sources of strength has been shown to reduce suicide rates in high schools by up to 29% by taking an upstream approach, building protective factors, strengthening connections, and encouraging help seeking behaviors before crisis occur. As it's at its core, SOS empowers students as leaders. Peer leaders guide the program by developing campaigns, recruiting members, and shaping me messaging, while advisers provide support and structure. This peer-to-peer model fosters a culture of
025trust, resilience, and hope, and strengthens connections between students and trusted adults. Our group meets weekly to provide a safe supportive space and to build practical mental health skills. We typically intim uh implement one major campaign per quarter along with smaller weekly efforts. Campaigns may include schoolwide displays, interactive activities, and community initiatives such as cookie drives, coin drives, and studentled awareness events. Many of our C campaigns are highly interactive. For example, in our let your stress fall away campaign, students created a visual display where peer leaders shared coping strategies on green leaves while the broader student body contributed by writing their stressors on red, orange, and yellow leaves symbolizing stress being released. We also use bulletin boards and interactive displays throughout the school to encourage ongoing student engagement and reflection. And I believe we have illustrations
026of those things in your board packet or um available pictures that you had a chance to look at. SOS is supported through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which provides annual training and resources for both staff and students. The program emphasizes the importance of gatekeepers, individuals trained to recognize warning signs and connect peers to appropriate support. Since 2009, SOS has been recognized on national best practices registries for suicide prevention. Our local chapter has also been recognized with a thousand grant from the Wade Millet Memorial Foundation for its work in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Students have multiple leadership opportunities within SOS, including roles such as president, social media coordinator, design lead, and project manager. These positions are filled through an application process each year, encouraging student ownership and leadership development. Moving forward, our goal
027is to expand participation among both students, staff, and increasing involvement will allow us to broaden our impact and continue building a stronger, more connected, and more resilient school community. The club is grateful for the continued support of the board of education, Mr. Leage, Principal Tero for their ongoing support. And that is sources of strength. And I believe that's it for all of our groups this evening. So I think you heard a lot about um some really important uh kind of educationbased uh activities that that these clubs are particularly engaged in. And so it's exciting to hear that. I will just if you'll indulge me one minute I will just say um about our buddy system program that Mrs. Lejoy has done a tremendous job in expanding that program. I was certainly here when it started
028and it started on a very small scale started by one of our students at the high school and she's just done a tremendous job expanding that program connecting it to our unified sports programs and expanding it into all the things that you heard her speak about too. So certainly want to you know highlight highlight that work um because it it it's it's really a full-time job that she's that she's doing there. So I wanted to make sure I highlighted that. But all of all of our groups are just doing tremendous work as you've heard. So thank you for having us again and questions or while we let go. >> Are there any questions or comments? >> Thank you for adding this in Mike. This has been really um we've been saying to the other groups
029as they come in. This is our first year doing this where we've expanded beyond academics and it I mean I'm sorry athletics and it's been a really um awesome opportunity I think for all of us to really get to know um all of our programs that are happening at the school at the high school and all the opportunities for our students to be involved. So thank you for coming and thank you for sharing um what you're doing and thank you for participating. These are really awesome leadership opportunities that you get in front of you. So um and really awesome opportunities to learn from those around you. So, thank you um to our staff and thank you to our students for participating as well and thank you for coming tonight. Some of you might want to
030stay for just a couple of minutes. There's a there's an update. We're going to do a superintendent update and then I'm going to do a chair update and it might have some information that you would be interested in hearing or not. I mean, I think so. >> Thanks, J. Thank you. >> I guess our work was not as interesting as I had expected. >> That's okay. >> We'll have to tell Kate it's not just her. >> All right. Agenda item 5.0. 0 is a superintendent report. So, we'll turn this over to Diane. >> Yes. Good evening. Um uh happy to share my superintendence report as always uh each month. Uh starting with our uh enrollment numbers. I'm not going to read that slide to you, but you can take a look at that at your
031leisure and you'll notice that our uh enrollment continues to be pretty consistent. Next slide, please. Um, as I like to do, um, I always love to showcase, uh, big things that are happening in the district. And I have two really unique things to share with you this evening. Um, the first is a congratulations to the high school ACE team. That stands for architecture, construction, and engineering. um and they were selected as one of nine finalist teams selected to compete for the national title in Washington DC on April 27th. Um this is a group of five students who have been working with mentors from the industry to address critical issues around energy efficiency, data storage demand and environmental impact. um and their project focuses on the Kataden peak systems. And so you can see um in
032that visual that probably is a little bit hard for you to read from where we are. Um but that is basically um their poster um in terms of uh what they had presented. And so we're really excited. This is the first time ever um that a group like this um has um been at Scar Bro and uh for us to be selected as one of nine teams across the country is a pretty remarkable endeavor. Um so congratulations to them. Um, also wanted to uh give a great shout out uh to one of our VEX Robotics teams, team 344E um who has qualified for the World VEX Robotics Championships. Um, and that is going to take place in St. Louis, Missouri um over April break. So really um great to celebrate our students um and as
033you see um on a regular basis here um it's just amazing to be able to highlight this wide array of opportunities for our students. Um and so that is definitely something for us to celebrate. Uh moving on to the next slide just wanted to provide you a little bit of update on student registration. Um I know that there is a lot of excitement in our community about the expansion of public prek. Um as you know we um uh have uh expanded our public prek for the coming year to 80 slots um 80 students and um as a reminder to the public this is a zerocost initiative. In fact, um this is a value added initiative because the subsidy that we'll receive for these students goes far beyond the cost of the program. Um in fact
034um it is to the plus of about $500,000 above and beyond the cost of the program. So we're super excited about that. We're very excited about the level of interest that's been generated from the community. Um screening is um getting organized right now. We're going to be working with Shooting Stars um on screening and families will be receiving um an email tomorrow actually um about how to um select a screening appointment um and get that process started. So that is super exciting. Um, and then to just provide you an update around kindergarten registration. We currently have 182 students registered for kindergarten so far. Um, that is uh pretty on par with where we tend to be at this time of year. Um, but um, each of our schools will be setting up their screening appointments.
035Um and and uh it's hard to think that uh we are really gearing up for the next school year, but we're in April and so uh it is time for us to be doing that. >> All right. Thank you, Diane. Any questions for Diane? >> All right. Um agenda item 6.0 is the chair's report. I do have a few things to review today. Um, first off, we have um two uh vacant seats on our board that are that are coming um coming up in June. And we did have two people take out papers and return papers. So um we have two candidates for two seats at the um June referendum. Um the uh upcoming workshops we have April 30th is um going to be one on understanding educational technology. Just for the public's knowledge, this
036is um really a kickoff for us as a board to understand our district's use of educational technology, what that even means, and really kind of think through how we want to um shape the vision of of educational technology for Scarboro. Um at the same time as this May 21st is our retirees celebration. Um, at the same time that we're working on this April 30th um, workshop, we're also, if you could go to the next slide, we've been working on something that we um, had talked about with the cell phone policy, and that is a parent forum where we invite um, community members, the parents to really come in for an informal, relaxed, judgment-free conversation around how we navigate technology at home. So, um, the reason I'm I'm kind of tapping these together is that as
037we talked to, um, a couple of members that are of the of the panel for this forum, I did share with one of them, um, his name is Matt Pines. He's very involved in research as it relates to educational technology, cell phones, and their impact on students. Um Ray and I met with him and as I talked to him, I shared with him that we did have some community members that had shared some resources with us um from other districts that were used when the cell phone policy discussion was happening. And um the resource was essentially a one pager with references that the board could then read ahead of time and kind of get themselves grounded in what this means and what the what the um you know explaining why cell phone policies and bans
038are in place and what it means and why. And um at any rate, I found the resource to be pretty helpful just I would imagine for a board that's trying to understand um an issue and educational technology is one that um is newer in term and and idea. And so I did ask him if he would be willing to help us create also a one-pager ahead of this um upcoming April workshop. And he was willing to help us. Um I did tell him that um from my perspective I thought it would be best if it was a balanced reference sheet. So if there was in other words if there was research that showed the the pros of educational technology that we would be interested in hearing both sides. So a balanced um overview. Um so
039we are working on that with him and hopefully we'll have that um in advance of our workshop so that people can kind of read and kind of ground themselves in the idea of what educational technology is. Um, so the the workshop for our board meeting is April 30th and that is a date change. So I just want to make the community aware of that. That is a um a change from the third the third Thursday of of April. May 6th is our parent forum. Um, and this is going to be the relaxed conversation with the panel of experts to talk about how we navigate technology at home and what that means and what that looks like. Um, one of the challenges for those that were on the board at the time, you'll remember, um, one
040of the challenges we heard quite frequently when we were working on our policy is that parents felt almost helpless, for lack of a better term. We heard from a lot of parents that, um, just didn't know uh, how to navigate it, what to do, and they felt a little bit out of control with it. And so, um, we really had committed at that time to doing something to help help our parents that needed it. And so, that's what this that's what this parent forum is. Um so both of those are coming. Um in relation to um technology, uh the statewide belltobell cell phone ban that has been um that was a part of Governor Mills's supplemental budget um did pass the appropriations committee and so it does um it is moving forward to the legislature
041where it appears that it will pass there as well. Um there's no um from what I understand there's no reason to suspect that it will not pass. So, um I say this now, uh what will happen is if passed, we will every district in Maine will have 90 days to comply. That's it. Um with the with the law, the new law. So, it's going to come quick and it's going to come fast. Um unfortunately, the funding for that was reduced. So, there is $350,000 now available to um uh come up with a solution. and it it roughly equates to $3 and some change per middle school and high school students. So, um we talked about this a little bit um at our and and very briefly at our budget workshops. Um I had I had
042talked to Diane about is there money in the budget included for this? And at the time there wasn't. Um but now where it's at now, it's probably something we're we're going to have to really consider. Um this is going to be in my mind a really really big initiative. It's going to require a lot of parental um education, a lot of student education, staff education, and all of this is happening while our staff and our students and our families are on summer break. So, it's um the requirement will be for next year. Um it's it it's going to be I think it's going to be a lot. It's it's going to be a lot and it's going to come really fast. So, um, the more we can get on top of informing our parents, I
043think the better. Um, really looking at maybe the communications committee like maybe thinking about this and what this means and how to get the word out because I don't want I would hate for anybody to be surprised by this when it comes in at the start of the school year. And I think right now that um this could be a surprise for many. Um, so, uh, any questions on the band part or the forum or anything for me? >> No, >> I just had a question about the April 30th workshop. Um, is, uh, is Diane, is there someone on the staff who's going to be leading it from the district side? >> Yeah, it's kind of going to be a group effort um from several members of our team. >> Okay. And are we going
044to get a little bit of an sort of an intro piece? I know that I will try my best to read but given everything that's coming up I don't know if how much all time all of us have to prepare. It would be nice to have some sort of like a leveling little bit of an intro on what is educational technology. Yeah, I think that's you know um our goal is uh for the workshop to provide that to you, right? So, um, what is the intentional use of technology here in Skyro public schools? Um, we're going to be collecting some data from our staff um to help us better understand um, you know, firsthand from our educators um, about the ways in which they use technology and the regularity at which they do that. And
045so we really want to make sure that we're starting that workshop with some foundation um setting and building some understanding. Uh we also have received some questions from the board um that we know that you all have and so we're crafting our presentation around those two pieces. >> Yeah. Yeah. And I just to add on to that, I generally open our workshops with a with an overview. And so I have no problem um doing that just like I would normally and I can >> kind of set the ground for sure. Shut the table um and then I can turn it over. I think that's absolutely. >> Yeah. Any other thoughts or questions on the state statewide ban? >> Um I I agree just I agree that uh we need to communicate soon and widely to
046our parents. I mean, and you know, they won't be the only ones who will be shocked because it's going to happen, you know, statewide. Um, and then, uh, given the lack of sort of or limited resources, I think our challenge will be what, you know, what kind of infrastructure we're going to have be able to put in place to actually secure the the personal devices, you know. >> Yeah, I think that's definitely the challenge, especially with the um decrease in funding. So yeah, go ahead, Sarah. >> Um, I just wanted to say that if the ban passes, I do think we have to communicate very well to the students. Like I think going directly to them, like a presentation or something would probably be the best cuz I feel like a lot of students like
047with the policy last year were kind of annoyed that they felt like excluded from the process. Like I think we have to be very direct or else it's going to like >> blow back on us. I don't know like >> yeah come back for us >> I do you know it's going to be it's going to be hard it's going to be a challenge and it is going to be new right for the kids for everyone for all of us right I think parents are going to have to adapt um teachers students um and we certainly want them to feel informed and I know that's um maybe when we get to the student reports it'd be good for you to share like your project you haven't done that yet because I think that um I
048don't want to give away the the farm right and tell all your good stuff but I think you've kind of tapped into that, right? That knowledge that students are feeling a little bit, um, excluded from the process. And so, um, I really appreciate that you're doing your part, too. And we can certainly, um, figure out something to do, too, to help as well. Absolutely. That's a good good advice. All right. Any other questions or thoughts on that? Okay. I have one more piece. Um yesterday at the um town council meeting it was the um it was the first reading of the budget. Um the long and the short of it is that the first reading came in at 5.99%. Um I think it's fair to say that the entire council was disappointed in what they
049saw. Um as you know there was a goal, a council goal. Um, we've discussed it here that there was a council goal to keep the budget at a 0% increase this year. Um, it was my understanding from my initial conversations that that was an aspirational goal, but I think the disappointment from what I could understand yesterday, the disappointment is that um they really expected a a much lower budget at first read and um they understand that um getting us close to that 0% um is likely going to come at the expense of people. um they understand that there might be a drop in services that happens because you know in an attempt to get down and that really the overarching message was that um there's going to be really tough choices that have to be
050made on both the school side and the town side. Um they um I I think that the takeaway for me is that um there was talk about trying to get down to two or two and a half% but really getting down um is low. There is some that said they wanted they were really firm on the zero. And so I I think that there's going to be um a lot of work in front of both finance bodies. Um, I think there's going to be a lot of work in front of um both leadership teams. Um, it it's it's this is not going to be an an easy an easy lift by any means. Um, but I I think that it's it's important to know where we're going and what's what's in front of us so
051that everybody has a really firm understanding of um what the expectations are going forward. And the expectations from what I heard yesterday are um get back at it and and find some find some places to make those tough decisions. >> Any questions for me on that? >> Just uh I just want to follow up with a comment. I mean, basically they're saying, you know, if you don't make you didn't help us, so what we're going to make these cuts and um you know, we want to do it collaboratively. So, we're um I just I know it's going to go back to our finance committee and our leadership team, but I'm assuming the board will then sort of collaborate on on how to at least, you know, bring it down. >> Yeah. And it'll come back
052to us. We'll still have another look at it at second reading as well, but yes, it'll go back to the finance committee for more work. Um that'll include, of course, Diane and Kate and the team, and they'll they'll do their part. um the town council um the the way that this budget cycle works is that we actually get started before they do. So we where we've already had our workshops from with the leadership team, they haven't had theirs yet. So um they still they're a step behind or a couple steps behind us. So um they will start that process next where they'll hear from the leadership team um and really start prioritizing the work and what you know what what their priorities are what what services are their priorities you know they have to go
053through all of that work as well where we've already done that. So um for us the next step is that finance committee will take it for them they're they're still doing those workshops and those meetings. Any other questions about the budget or first shootings? All right. Agenda item 7.0 are committee reports. 7.1 is the community outreach communications report. Can you do this for me? Thank you. >> Okay. So, the senior citizen appreciation dinner and celebration is coming up this next Tuesday, >> uh, April 7th. And uh we are honored to celebrate our community members and showcase incredible learning that happens in our district schools. Um we're pleased to be able to showcase the Jim Dandies. Uh the Scar Bro Middle School theater team will also be there to perform some songs for their upcoming show
054Annie Jr. Um and the robotics club will be there along with um multiple other volunteers. We'll have the model UN um uh and then the interact club will also be there and I'm forgetting there's several groups that are there to support us. It's really cool. >> Uh so many kids come out and then we have some um some of uh you know our kids will be there and um it's a really really fun event. So we're really looking forward to that. Uh she says a big shout out to the nutrition department for their incredible support in preparing the delicious meals. um and uh Scar Bro Community Services for the registration support. Um this is like a big lots of lots of people here to support this. So we're really lucky. Um our last meeting was
055March 9th and our next meeting is next Monday at 5:00 p.m. >> All right. Thank you. Any questions for Jillian? >> All right. You want to carry on with curriculum? >> Sure thing. Uh our last meeting was March 12th. Um the we did get an update on the math curriculum group at that time. uh they had developed a rubric for evaluating each of the programs and they were down to two options, but there have been more developments since that since then and we will be hearing about that um on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Um also the CNA uh survey went out um to solicit uh volunteers for that group. Um this that went out a couple weeks ago. Now, um she has gotten the responses back and we'll be meeting with John who is the
056liaison for that group to uh put together um a team and we will hear more about that next meeting as well as a date for when that will be taking place. And that is it. >> Thank you. Any questions for Jillian again? >> All right. Uh next uh 7.3 is finance. >> You already stole a bunch of words. Um but um as for finance, um we just had our last meeting earlier this week. Um we had some pretty good news in terms of kind of prices with our heating oil and everything in terms of taking a look at everything going on out there. We are locked in at a price of 280, which is about $2 lower than the current average around the state. And then another thing of good news is Anthem and our
057insurance rates at most will be 11%. >> Um so that was some nice news to hear. um town budget is going to have its workshops which will have a um presentation around noon I believe on the 13th >> and then the town will continue with its workshops on after that. Our next meeting is the 28th at 5:30 and we got some work to do. >> Awesome. Thank you. Any questions for Mitchell? All right. Uh 7.4 is negotiations. Frea. >> Um we're meeting regularly on our educational support professionals contract. Um those negotiations are ongoing. Obviously our goal as always is to wrap up by the end of the school year in June. We'll see if we are able to fulfill that. Um moving to policy, we had our last meeting today. We reviewed um policy DJH
058and DN. I know you love the procurement and purchasing policies. So, we're going to have some first readings next meeting. Um, and then, uh, we also actually worked through a bunch of the B meetings, which has to do with board governance. Um, and so, look forward to a few of those coming, um, coming up, as well as KE, which is public concerns and complaints. Um, we're looking at the social media policy. We're kind of waiting because there's supposed to be a model policy coming out shortly. So, we're hopeful to bring that forward quickly. And then we can continue to go to the policies in reverse, biological order. Our next meeting is the first um it's the first Thursday of the month which coincides with our board meeting on May 7th at 5 to 6:30 um
059in person or hybrid at the schoolboard conference room. Thank you. Any questions for Frea? All right. Um agenda item 7.6 is the postreerendum building committee. Um there's nothing to report because we haven't met yet. So, we are meeting next Tuesday, April 7th, um at 6 o'clock and that is going to be at the um remind middle school. Thank you. I had a moment of forgetfulness. Um it'll be at the middle school for anybody who would like to join. >> And there will be a tour available for people at 5:30. >> Yes. If anybody is interested in taking a tour of the middle school, um if you haven't seen it lately or if you're curious about um what is going to happen there and what will what it'll look like um this will be a good
060opportunity for you. So 5:30 to 6 they will tour the middle school and then the meeting will start at 6 o'clock. All right, agenda item 8.0 are less on reports. Are there any leison on reports to give today? All right, hearing none, we'll move on to agenda item 9.0 is the student representative reports. So, we are going to skip to 9.2, which is Sarah. >> Um, Abby unfortunately couldn't be here today, but I was gonna Diane kind of stole my thunder. >> I will say that I checked the slide deck before I did my slides this this afternoon to make sure I was in the clear. So, >> I guess we all should do that. Yeah. So, the ACE mentor program of Scar Bro had a team of five students compete in the national search
061competition which challenges teams to design innovative sustainable solutions for real world construction projects. So our scarboard team designed a net zero data center based in Milanino at Maine and out of 85 teams they were selected as one of the top nine teams in the country and they'll be flown to Washington DC will where they will present their project to a panel of nationally recognized leaders and experts in the ACE industries. Yeah. >> Um, and then for the Wentworth and primary schools, last Tuesday, primary and Wentworth school students all got the chance to participate in the AllTown Chorus concert. Um, I didn't attend, but I heard it was a magical night and a great way to wrap up the Wentworth music in our schools month. Also, Pleasant Hill received 1,350 packets of seeds from Pine Tree
062Garden Seeds. So, they're hosting a seed fundraiser. Pleasant Hill invites all families to stop by, grab some, and donate some money to support their garden garden programming. >> Cool. Very cool. All right. Do you want to also talk about your project? >> Sure. Um, so my project for my ELO is I'm trying to increase like student awareness of the happenings of the board. Um, specifically the policy committee, but kind of so in general. So, what I've been doing is I've been putting like writeups in the monthly newsletter, the high school newsletter. Um, kind of explaining um last month I did like the social media policy which is going to be like upcoming kind of like what it would mean for students. And then for tomorrow, I did one that um mentions the forum and workshops
063that are upcoming about technology and also the cell phone ban which is in the works. Um so yeah, so kind of trying to increase awareness and also there's a way for people who read it to provide feedback which is kind of another way of public opinion. >> Yeah, very cool. Yeah, it's very very rich. >> All right, any questions for Sarah? >> All right, thank you Sarah. Agenda item 10.0 is general public comment. Is there anyone wishing to make general public comment this evening? >> Right. Um, I'll just I'll say a um so each each person is limited to three minutes to speak. So the little lights will guide you. Um the green is good. Yellow means um you're getting close to um and red is your three minutes is up. All right. So if
064you could just mind um introducing yourself first and then I'll start your timer. >> Go ahead. >> Good evening members of the school board. My name is Sarah Kaplan and I work for the district at Scarbor High School as an English language arts teacher. I also serve as the secretary for the Scarboro Education Association. I'm here today to represent and speak on behalf of my colleagues who are studying who are struggling without enough support for their students who are presenting major behavioral issues. These issues affect not only my colleagues but also the other students taking away from their education. When asked to share phrases that come to mind when they think of their experiences with special ed students, program, work expectations, etc. over the past few years, this is what my colleagues at the high
065school and middle school shared with me. It's overwhelming. There is too much paperwork, and we are underpaid, disorganized, unstructured, and stretched thin. There has been a huge influx of very needy students. The students are great, but my budget was cancelled last year and my room is understaffed. A different staff member said that new staff need more support, which is echoed by another person who worries about insufficient support staffing. Yet another staff member said, "Needs are going up, but the supplies aren't being given." Here are some other concerns shared by more staff members we talked to. I feel like I'm not being heard by central office. I'm told, "Don't worry about that." and that student isn't a onetoone. LS or functional life skills generally don't have a lunch break. Yet another staff member described their day
066as hectic, never- ending, behavior uptick, concerned with how to manage individual needs because they have more to do with less time. They note that gen ed general education is often unable to handle or know what to do with behaviors and without adequate staffing, the staff member feels thankless and questions, are we making a difference? More staff members worry about not having enough time or support from home, increasing behavior issues, student push back, lots of meetings, and chasing kids down to complete work, low student motivation. Some final words and phrases that staff shared with the sea were insufficient, needy, trial and error, frazzled, squeezed for time, and understaffed. The association and our members including these colleagues believe that all children can be successful in the right environment with the right with the correct supports and by
067utilizing appropriate programming. We are doing a disservice to our staff, our special education students and our mainstream students by ignoring these issues and failing to address these very real problems. We ask that the board encourage the district to look into better programming. And we ask the board to vote to fund these investigations and program changes for the good of all students, special ed and general ed, as well as our dedicated staff members. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Garrett White. >> Ready? >> Sure am. First, thank you members of the Scarbor School Board for hearing me and for being here today. My name is Garrett White. I work for the I serve the district as the Scarbor Middle School at as one of our art teachers and also I serve the Scarbor Education
068Association as our vice president for faculty. I too am here today to share some of the experiences that some of our other colleagues have shared with us. uh some issues that are affecting their work, their students that they support, and the sort of general well-being of the whole school community. Our association asked members at the middle school and high school to share their experiences. So, I I've got two questions that I'm going to provide some some of their feedback from. The first was, "What is your current or typical emotional state when it comes to special education or highne students?" People reported feeling exhausted, tapped out, done, sad, and frustrated. We also hear other things. The middle school uh functional life skills room that says it is usually joyful in there. Which you love to hear.
069They say things are okay thanks to our colleagues, but tired and confused and very happy that I'm close to retirement. People feel unsupported, unheard, frustrated, overloaded, tired, underappreciated, and depleted with more added to their work but no benefit added from that work. They feel hopeful for a good day. They feel exhausted when behaviors occur and frustrated or hopeless when the social and emotional learning that we're trying to teach aren't learned and then high needs continue. People feel others responded they feel encouraged and hopeful. Still more say, "I usually feel happy and positive when I'm with my kids. But there are times when I am drained of patience, not only from the kids I work with daily, but from general ed kids as well. People respond they're happy overall, but they see areas that seem not
070to improve, and it's frustrating." Another said, "I'm in need of a nap. Sometimes mild dread when it comes to a particularly unpredictable or difficult class." The second question we that I respond to here is do you have any physical symptoms related to special education programming students etc. And people responded that they've been scratched, hit, spit on, emotionally abused with back and neck pain. Another responded with back strain causing a lost day of work. Another says they feel tired, a lack of energy for all the rest of their life. They say they feel exhausted with headaches, tension, back pain, knee pain. They feel sleeplessness at times. And we also have some who say nothing none at this time. So certainly not not a totally bleak future. But we're here to advocate for our people. To be
071clear, our association and our members absolutely believe that all children can be successful in school and in life, but they need support, adequate appropriate supports, programs, environment, and staffing. and we're hoping that the school board that you will work with us and work with them to make that happen for all of us. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Uh Dylan White. >> Hi. Good evening. My name is Dylan White and I have been an employee with Scar Bro School Department for 24 years. Throughout this time, I have worked in the special ed department in numerous capacities. The majority of my years in this district have been working with students with significant behavioral issues, either a one-on-one edtech or as a classroom teacher. I would like to share an experience that I had as a self-contained
072specialed teacher that made me want to leave teaching in this specific area. I apologize in advance if I get emotional. This was and still continues to be a very traumatic experience. To give you background on the student involved in this event, they were as tall as me and twice as big as an average fifth grader. The student had a one-on-one at all times of the day due to significant behavioral needs. The student would elope. The student was aggressive towards staff peers. The student was in a classroom all day with only support staff and no other peers. The student had a specific lunch plan and a specific recess plan. I had just finished an activity in my class and this student became upset and angry as they did not like the results of the activity. The
073student became verbally aggressive at me and was demanding that they get another try. As I was attempting to transition the class to a new activity, the student became disregulated and started to come at me. I called for backup. I began to use my safety care training techniques. I tried to deescalate the situation. The student began to destroy the classroom by clearing desks, going after laptops, ripping off things at the wall, and throwing books. At this point, I had all the other students leave the room with other staff, and I began implementing the students behavior plan and attempting to get the student to the breakroom safely. At this point, there were five trained adults, the student, and myself in the room. The student became increasingly aggressive and lunged at me. Fearing for my safety, I left
074the classroom and was going to go to the office across the hall. The student chased me and was trying to get into the office by pulling on the door handle. The office locked from the outside, so I was unable to lock it from the inside. I was instructing the staff to lock the door so the student could not attack me. As I was pulling back on the handle to have the staff lock me in, the student slammed the door on my foot. This resulted in me going to the doctor and finding I had a non-displaced fracture of the cuboid bone or in layman's terms a broken foot. I was required to wear a boot for six weeks with physical restrictions. It is incidents like this that propelled me to make the transfer to my current
075position at the middle school. I have noticed a significant increase in students dangerous behaviors in the past several years. As a result, employees are being injured at an alarming rate. staff are not adequately trained to handle the significant challenges that today's students are bringing to school. I thank you for allowing me this time and to speak to you this evening. I hope that teachers, administrators, and the school board can all work together to help keep educators and students safe. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hello, uh David Pay. Uh uh members of the Scarboro School Board, my name is David Pay and I work for the district at Scarbor High School as a social studies teacher. I also serve as a high school building representative and the grievance chair for the Scarboro Education Association. Um
076I am here like the others who spoke prior to me to speak on behalf of our colleagues who are struggling uh without enough support for their students. And as we have noted earlier, this affects both not only our colleagues but also the other students and takes away from their ability to have the best education possible. Um, as our colleagues have been asking us to tell their stories or telling them directly to you, they've also been telling us about what they think could be done to make their environment more supportive and more positive. And that in turn would be not only a benefit for our colleagues but for also the students for which they care about and support. So some of the ideas that the members have presented to us include uh the following. A dedicated
077special education instructional coach um a liaison between the different special education consulting teachers. Um a more overall positive environment with support and visibility from leadership and administration. more timely responses to email from staff and more inclusion of staff suggestions and decision- making. Uh working with local colleges for internship possibilities and special education. Um a more competitive wage structure relative to surrounding districts to not only attract skilled applicants, but to also fill all needed special ed positions, including one-on- ons. um clear and productive plans to address current and potential staffing issues, particularly when related to IEPs, and more training for new edte and prep time for current edte for lesson planning um to help retain many of our great staff members. Um, as we've stated before, we believe that in a more collaborative and positive environment,
078we can create a system where all our kids can be successful and that addressing these problems in a collaborative and proactive manner will benefit everyone. And so, we ask um the board to take these suggestions into account going forward for the good of all of our students and our staff members. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, is there anyone online? >> There's one person online. >> Is there anyone online wishing to make public comment this evening? If so, you can raise your Zoom hand. All right, seeing none, we will close general public comment. Um, agenda item 11.0 is continuing business. 11.1 is the second reading of policy KB complaints against school personnel turn that to you. >> So this is the same policy that you saw at first reading. We didn't receive any feedback on
079it like my microphone. Um and I'm trying to open it which I can't do. So it takes us through a step-by-step procedure um to address complaints at the lowest level possible. And um Yeah, >> try to memorize it. I didn't memorize it. >> Try to She has a step-by-step instructions in order to I did not memorize it. >> Sorry. >> Um step by step um instructions for how to address it. Again, we try to address problems at the lowest level um with the individuals involved and then escalate from there if needed. Um ultimately, uh the complaints against the superintendent obviously have a slightly different process and then um these would not impact any of the employee concerns or complaints that happens um with their individual contracts. Happy to answer any questions, but again, this is
080the exact same policy that you saw before and we had no comment or feedback on it. >> All right. Are there any questions for Frea? >> Just a question. This covers complaints by either students, parents, not it's not between colleagues. It's it's >> yes. Okay. >> There are some specific complaint procedures. So, um uh this this is a general complaint procedure. If there's not a more specific one involved, so harassment policy, it would not cover that. Um and there's also um a complaint process through for human resources purposes. It doesn't impact any of that. this would be sort of if a general complaint came um this would be the procedure again unless there's a more specific one I think we call out to those other pro procedures in this so that we can point people
081in the right direction to make sure they're in the right spot so they don't think it's this and it's it turns out it's that because for example the sexual harassment policy is extremely specific and has a lot of statutory deadlines in it and so we wouldn't want them to think that this would be the proper process because it's very different and much more involved. >> Thank you. >> All right. Okay. Do I have a motion to approve the second reading of policy KB complaints against school personnel as presented? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? Is there anybody wishing to make public comment? All right. Um all in favor? All right. That shows unanimous. Thank you so much. Agenda item 12.0 is new business. 12.1 is the middle school spring coaches appointment.
082>> Yes. So you'll see in your packet uh the listing of uh spring coaches for Scarbo Middle School and I would respectfully ask you to approve it. All right. Do I have a motion to approve the middle school spring coaches appointment as presented? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? All in favor? That shows unanimous. Thank you so much. Agenda item 12.2 is Hannifford Health School donation acceptance for Pleasant Hill. >> Yes. I'll read this memo to you from Mr. Gro and our assistant superintendent. >> Thank you very much. I appreciate it. >> Uh Pleasant Hill School is in receipt of a check from the Hanford Help School program uh in the amount of $693. Uh the donations represent funds raised by parents in the community for Pleasant Hill School during the
0832025 Handerford Health Schools program. uh they are seeking to deposit the checks into the general activity account for future use. Um and you'll see a copy of the check attached. Um and you can certainly contact Ry right here if you have any questions. >> All right. Do I have a motion to approve the Hannifford Health School donation as presented? >> So moved. Second. >> Any discussion? Any public comment? All in favor? And that shows unanimous. Thank you so much. Agenda item 12.3 is a Horus man insurance donation acceptance. >> Yes. Uh so you'll see in your packet a memo from Kate Bolton. Um our director of business and finance. Um and I will read it to you in this brief. Um, Horseman Insurance Company donated 30 $20 gift cards to be used as prizes for
084workshop sessions during our March 20th um staff development day. These prizes allowed every session during the day uh to have a uh winner a prize given at the end of the session uh the winner of which was selected randomly. A huge thank you to Horus man for this very generous donation and we respectfully request that the school board approve acceptance of the donation uh for our staff with many thanks. >> All right. Do I have a motion to approve the Horus man insurance donation as presented? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Is there any discussion? Any public comment? All in favor? And that shows unanimous. Thank you so much. Agenda item 13.0 is adjournment. So with no objections, we will adjourn at 8:19 p.m. this evening. Thank you so much and have a good night.