MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF June 17, 2021
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held virtually and in person in North Berwick, Maine on June 17, 2021 at 6:40 p.m. with all members present except Ms. Lovejoy, Ms. Stanton. The student representative was absent.
The Superintendent brought forward our three former board members to honor them for their years of service. Ms. Linda Corliss of Berwick will be joining the Board of Selectman in Berwick and had to step down. Ms. Astrida Schaeffer of North Berwick was on the board for 3 years. Ms. Joanne Potter of Lebanon has been on the board from 2003 to 2021… 18 years. Unbelievable. Thank you for your service ladies. We appreciate you so much!
Public Input: Jen England of North Berwick shared her letter of resignation along with a statement regarding her strong belief that the leadership has been silent on issues of diversity equity and inclusion in the district and in doing so have pushed her to leave her position. She spoke to another issue regarding not sharing information regarding graduation standards with the 2021 seniors as they were adjusted due to the impact of Covid-19 on instruction. She felt that those standard adjustments should have been relayed to students earlier in 2021.
Other public input can be seen here.
Student report: None at this time.
Induction of the new board member, Victoria Travers of Lebanon. Ms. Mallett swore in the new board member and Ms. Travers joined the board.
Nominations of the new board chair and vice chair. Ms. Mallet made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Doiron to nominate Ms. Neubert as board chair for the 21/22 school year. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Mallett made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Manley to nominate Ms. Hopper as board vice chair for the 21/22 school year. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Griffin Ivey, 5th grader, shared a presentation regarding the Confederate Flag for his culminating project for the Excel program. He gave a thorough overview of the history of the flag and what it stands for throughout American history. He asked the board to ban the flag on school property as he sees it as impacting others negatively.
The board then reviewed the financial summary for May of 2021. Financial Summary May 2021
The board then had a brief discussion regarding the potential additional subsidy that would be returned to the district based on a legislative vote. The majority of the board felt that returning the extra finances to the town made the most sense. More discussion will follow at a future meeting. There was a desire on the part of the board to ensure that the funds that are returned go back to the taxpayers.
The board discussed the warrant for the assessment of taxes based on the approved budget. Ms. Mallett made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Hagenbuch that the warrant for assessment of taxes be approved by the board.
Ms. Mallett made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Hagenbuch to approve the new contract for the Superintendent of schools for the following two years. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
The Superintendent shared a donation of $1300 for the backpack program that was given by Megan, an MSAD 60 Student, and her dad. Megan biked 60 miles with her dad following her and picking up donations all along the way.
Employment:
Ms. Mallett made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to appoint James Winslow as assistant principal for the Multiple Pathways and 8th grade teams. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
The superintendent provided an update regarding the high school principal search for Noble High. After two rounds of interviews, it was noted that we did not have a successful candidate for the position. After meeting with the current administrative team, the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent encouraged the board to hire Mr. AJ Dufort, current assistant principal for the role of Noble HS principal for the 21/22 school year. The board felt strongly that this was the appropriate move as Mr. Dufort has principal experience and is a strong leader in the district. Mr. Doiron made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Hagenbuch to appoint Mr. Dufort as principal for the Noble High School. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Hagenbuch made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to approve the nominations of the following teaching staff for the 21/22 school year. Michael Hallinan: NHS English, Shannon Jenkins: NHS French, Kaiulani Anderson-Andrei: Hussey Grade 3, Jesse Young: Hussey PE, Erin Olson: LES Grade 4, Rebecca Cosgrove:Hanson Gr 3, Sarah Millett:NMS Grade 7 ELA, Abigail Ackley:NMS Grade 7.
All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Hagenbuch made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Doiron to approve the resignations of the following staff: Marc Bisson: NBES (.5) Assistant Principal/ (.5)Literacy, Jennifer England: NHS Multiple Pathways, Kelli McGlinn: NHS Special Education, Jordan Larrabee: NMS Special Education, Meghann Lyon: Hussey Kindergarten,Traci Hiett: NHS Guidance Secretary.
All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Other:
Graduation was really positive and very NORMAL!
Project Graduation was also fabulous and was very appreciated by the students who attended.
Kudos to the administration, staff and supportive parents.
Ms. Mallett made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Hagenbuch to adjourn the meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. Adjourned at 8:22 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Audra Beauvais