School board meets at Mt. Abram





SALEM — Last Wednesday, the SAD #58 school board held its annual meeting about high school-related issues in the Mt. Abram High School library. The room was packed with students, who weren’t hesitant about voicing their concerns to the board.At the beginning of the meeting, Mt. Abram teacher Barry London welcomed the school board, saying that the concept of the interaction between the board and the students had come a long way from its inception in terms of the creative exchange of ideas. Two students in London’s Outdoor Management class, Jared and Adam Dyar, then gave a presentation to the board about the class’s preparation for the Maine Guides Test. They proposed a three-day trip for the class beginning on May 17.Another student, Steve Viles, then gave board members a handout with information about the trip. After Chad Mitchell gave a description of what the class would be doing on the trip, board member Jack McKee asked what the ultimate objective was. Adam Dyar responded “It’s preparation for the test, because the test is very complex.London then said that the head of the warden’s service “was concerned because of their age that they’d be at a real disadvantage in terms of experience in the woods.” He then added “The sergeant in charge of certification said that while they couldn’t get their guide’s license at 18, there was nothing wrong with them taking the test while they were 17.”Board member Todd Katz was enthusiastic about the idea, saying, “I encourage anyone who wants to get a Maine Guide’s license to pursue it.” The rest of the board was also enthused about it, and approved the trip by a unanimous vote.Student Mark Laverdiere then stood up and suggested that the school should have a money management course, where students learn the skills necessary to take care of their finances after they graduate. Principal Jeanne Tucker said that Laverdiere had asked her about such a course before, and that she felt some students might not have accounting skills when they leave high school.Then McKee brought forth the issue of how students were being assessed with regard to the Maine Educational Assessment test and the Learning Results. Student Robert Fenning said, “A lot of the social studies on the MEAs was stuff that the juniors haven’t even learned yet, such as economics and U.S. government.”Adam Dyar expressed his concern about the method that the school used to teach students, saying, “The school needs to make a decision about whether they want to focus on the MEAs or the curriculum.” McKee responded by saying, “Our primary objective is the education. The local assessment is not always the same as what’s on the MEAs.”Dyar then said that the showcase, in which students have to do a 15-minute presentation to graduate, concerned him because it seemed to outweigh the students’ coursework in terms of importance. Board member Alan Morse said, “The showcase has a lot to do with learning results. When the Learning Results and the MEAs and other tests were created, there was fear that the schools would be evaluated too much by tests. The showcase offsets the results of the tests, so in that regard it is a very positive thing.”McKee then said, “Maine is ahead of the game in terms of having an assessment system that meets the needs of the nation. This school has done a magnificent job with that.”The issue of the sports season policy was also discussed. Superintendent Quenten Clark said, “There are two philosophies on academic probation. One is that you should be kicked off the team and another is that nothing should be done. The school board has had a hard time dealing with the issue. There were a lot of complications in the former policy that had to be resolved. Maybe we went too far, but the policy has been simplified.”Student Sara Martin wondered, “How can you get kicked off the team for 10 days for abusing alcohol and four weeks for flunking a class?” Morse said, “We’re looking for input. If you want it to be changed, get a copy of the policy, get input from fellow students and teachers, and change it.”Then another student, Garrett Adams, asked why the number of credits required to graduate had increased. McKee said, “I don’t know what the precise reason is. The practical reason is that it’s a more complex world you’re going into.”Clark said, “You guys are to some extent the beneficiaries of the Learning Results, and to some extent you’ve dodged a bullet. You could get an A in a class and not graduate in the future because of the requirements of the Learning Results.”McKee mentioned that Chapter 127, Article 7, which is now before the Maine Legislature, will state what students have to know to meet the state standards in addition to the minimum requirements of each school. Tucker said, “We decided to up the minimum standards here so no one could just scoot by.” Morse added that before this, the standards at Mt. Abram were lagging behind those of other schools.Other issues that were discussed with the students present were the addition of an ETV EMT course that will be offered by Foster Applied Technology Center next year, and hiring a new language teacher at Mt. Abram. Clark said that the lack of money from the state was the reason for not hiring a new teacher for next year.After the students were dismissed, the board members attended an interactive television presentation in another room using the ATM system that was installed at the school this year. Following this, the school board met in the library with the Mt. Abram staff. Several teachers asked questions about the ATM system. London mentioned that the system was an integral part of professional development.Danielle London then said, “I don’t think 90 percent of us know what is in that room.” She expressed concerns pertaining to the familiarity of teachers with the system.Clark urged a step-by-step approach to the new technology, starting with something insignificant and building from there. He also said that Mt. Abram was fortunate because many much larger communities in Maine such as Portland have no such system. “I would very much encourage you to think as creatively as possible. That will help build your confidence in terms of teaching your classes with the new technology,” he added.F.A.C.E. teacher Elaine Beal emphasized to the board that she wanted her Independent Living Course to be a graduation requirement, while guidance counselor Jeff Pillsbury asked about having a portable classroom at the school. Clark said that there was money in the budget for a portable.Tucker then said that she was impressed with the level of communication between the math teachers and students in the math office and wondered if all the teachers would benefit from a setup in which each department had its own office.The issue of late buses was also brought forth. Peter Manning wondered about the possibility of having a 3:30 instead of a 4:30 late bus. “With the option of getting out of here sooner, they (the students) might be more apt to stay for help.” McKee suggested having designated days of the week where students could stay after school for extra help so that teachers could plan their schedules around those days.London expressed frustration with having the start of the school day pushed back 15 minutes this year. “Because the start of school has been pushed back 15 minutes, I feel like I’m less effective as a teacher,” he said. He went on to say that the decision to do so left him with less time to help students in the morning. London’s thoughts were echoed by several other teachers.McKee commented on the increasingly difficult job that teachers face, saying, “You people are facing the most challenging situation in education in half a century. Instead of being assessed on what you did two years ago, you will be assessed on what you’re doing now, and this will affect school funding. For the first time, we’ve been forced to construct a K-12 curriculum.”Clark concluded by saying “At some point, the system is going to have to either break down or make some tough choices about which way to go.”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.