SAD 1 to re-assess daycare program
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — At the request of many SAD 1 teachers who have small children, SAD 1 officials will consider whether it is viable to reinstate the district’s daycare program.
At last Tuesday night’s board meeting, Superintendent Gehrig Johnson reminded directors that the daycare program, which was located at Presque Isle High School, was eliminated during the budget process six years ago.
“During the height of our financial problems in the district, that program was one of the programs that was eliminated,” said Johnson. “During the last year, I’ve been approached by many employees explaining that the dynamic has changed as the faculty has become younger with many small children at home, and that childcare is very difficult for many. They are requesting that we at least re-address the feasibility of this program to see if the program could be offered with costs being paid by employees.”
Johnson said the daycare component was always at capacity with 26 2-5-year-olds enrolled.
“It was a popular employee service, but it was heavily subsidized by the district,” he said. “We will re-assess the possibility of bringing it back unsubsidized.”
Also at the December board meeting, PIHS Principal Ben Greenlaw reviewed with directors the results of a new student survey and other admissions data compiled by the University of Maine. The enrollment data is based on first-year full-time students entering the university in the fall semesters of 2009-13.
“One of the aspects that jumped out at me was the mean GPA,” he said. “The state average for first-year University of Maine students is 2.71, and for PIHS, the mean GPA was 2.96. That’s pretty encouraging.
“Another thing I thought was encouraging for PIHS was the number of students that were matriculated, or still enrolled, after their first year and going into year two. The state average was 79 percent, but for PIHS, it was 85 percent,” Greenlaw said, noting that nearly one-third of PIHS graduates attending the University of Maine (30 percent) are enrolled in the engineering program, a much higher number than the state average.
Greenlaw said the survey also asked students how well they felt their high school did at preparing them for college.
“The state average for ‘well prepared’ was 56 percent and 14 percent for ‘very well prepared.’ For PIHS, 64 percent of our students felt they were ‘well prepared’ and 14 percent ‘very well prepared,’” he said. “Our students feel as though they’re very prepared for success at the university level.”
Directors also elected its slate of officers for 2015. Lucy Richard was elected chair, Jim Bubar was elected vice chair, and Bubar, Robert Cawley and Curtis Culberson were elected to the finance committee.
The next SAD 1 board meeting will be held Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at Pine Street Elementary School.
