The RSU 50 board tabled taking action on a proposal to relocate the students Monday evening after hearing passionate pleas from several area residents opposed to the move. The plan was initially brought before the board by Interim-Superintendent Mike Hammer several months ago as the first step towards possibly moving all KES students to the high school.
At last month’s board meeting, Hammer presented a proposal that would have moved the fifth- and sixth-grade classes to Katahdin Middle-High School for the start of the 2016-17 school year.
Hammer stated Monday evening that he had changed his mind on the relocation plans, but still recommended the sixth grade be moved.
“I believe in middle schools,” Hammer said. “I believe sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders should be together.”
Erin Schmidt of Patten, who is also a teacher at Katahdin Elementary School, spoke out against moving the students, saying there were not enough “good reasons” for the district to make the move.
“What is the educational advantage?” Schmidt asked. “In our teachers’ meeting it was said [the move] was to acclimate kids to the building, plus an opportunity for foreign language and art. But it was pointed out that our seventh- and eighth-graders are not currently getting either of those specials.”
Schmidt added another concern of hers was that there were no plans for “middle school bathrooms,” stating that some of the fifth- and sixth-graders would be afraid to walk down the hall or use a restroom if older students were there.
“It may seem like petty concerns to some, but I have witnessed freshmen afraid to go down a hallway until after a bell rings because seniors are lined up,” she said.
Another concern Schmidt had was that the proposed classroom spaces would be located in the center of the building, without exterior windows to provide natural sunlight.
Israel Boone of Patten stated KES was an important asset of the community and any decision to alter that school should not be done quickly.
“Shutting down this building is not something that I want to see happen,” he said. “It is [an asset] we should not give up without thorough consideration.”
Hammer stated the district can no longer afford to keep the status quo and maintaining both buildings is not something the district can do for much longer because of declining enrollment.
There are 182 students enrolled in the Katahdin Elementary School and 150 at the high school.
“I don’t know what your financial picture is going to look like in the next few years,” Hammer said. “You are probably going to have to start making decisions based on finances. If your financial picture was different this year, we would be moving all of the them [students at KES].”
Hammer said the board could hold off on making a decision, because moving just one or two grades would not result in a significant cost savings next year. He encouraged the board to not simply cease all discussions on the matter until a year from now.
“If you want to put this decision off, don’t wait and put it off completely,” he said. “Three different superintendents have told you that you can’t continue as is.”
Hammer also said that voters in RSU 50 need to support the proposed 2016-17 budget on June 14, because if the budget does not pass, it means additional cuts would have to be made to an already tight spending plan.
The communities that comprised the former SAD 25 (Patten, Stacyville, Sherman, Hersey, Moro and Mount Chase) will be voting June 14 on whether they wish to withdraw from RSU 50. Because of that impending vote, several board members expressed reservations about doing any kind of restructuring until after that vote is taken, which led to tabling the decision until the July board meeting.
