CARIBOU, Maine — Not only has the RSU 39’s ideas for implementing federal education funds been approved, Caribou’s model is being held up as an example for other districts.
Superintendent of RSU 39 Susan White recently informed the school board, “It’s the first one that was approved in this region and it’s been used as an exemplar actually as they start to work through and approve other plans like that,” she described. “They were impressed with our creativity and our choice to have someone head this up with the idea that we get it up and running in a very strong, rounded fashion.”
According to GearUpME.org, the GEAR UP federally funded education program centered around helping Maine students from grades 7-12 to be successful in school and enroll in college; support through the program extends into students’ first year of post secondary education.
With the school board’s approval of the GEAR UP plan and job description, the position has been posted on the RSU website; White anticipates a starting date of July 1 for the new director.
Keeping with the “new” theme, RSU 39 has a major school improvement project coming its way.
From beginning to end, the implementation of the improvement project takes years and has 21 total steps; currently, RSU 39 is on its fifth step into the process.
In keeping with that fifth step, state and local officials are working with architects to determine whether the project should be a new school or renovations to existing structures — but that isn’t hindering them from eyeing steps six and seven.
During their school board meeting on April 1, the RSU 39 board approved an advertisement announcing that the district is looking for potential parcels of land for the state-funded major capital school construction project.
“As part of the site selection process that we’re doing in conjunction with steps five, six and seven, one of the statutes says that we do need to put (an advertisement) out there in order to make sure we’re considering all possible sites,” the superintendent explained.
Assistant Superintendent Lois Brewer gave the board an update on gathering materials to complete step seven — a lengthy endeavor of compiling educational specifications for the greater RSU 39 region.
“This is a part of the building project requirement and we need to have input from a variety of stakeholders,” Brewer said.
The administrations idea for obtaining that input was to host a Building Our Future café, similar to the vision café conducted by the RSU in 2012 that brought students, teachers, parents and community members together to formulate a solid idea of what local education should look like.
“The architects loved the idea and supported it, and thought the Maine Department of Education would too,” Brewer said with a smile.
“We have a lot of questions to be answered before we write this document; questions about safety and what people think about how we could possibly create an affordable ‘green’ facility, how do we create and support instructional strategies for now and also for the future in that building, how can we use the building with the community — questions about technology, special education, gathering spaces and friendly furnishings for flexibility, “ she listed, “a lot of pieces they expect us to think deeply about.”
Covering these topics will be members of the ‘Building Our Future’ cafe, similar to the vision café, for staff and community on Saturday, May 2; additional information will be available closer to the event.
Brewer did inform the board that they will have to approve the educational specs document before administration may send it to the Department of Education, “so we do want your involvement and awareness along the way,” she explained.
Board Member Ronald Willey commented on the board’s involvement with the school improvement project so far, asking for an opportunity to discuss the role of the school directors in the project “because it says we’re in charge, but it doesn’t feel like we’re in charge.”
“If building a school is a parade, I’m sitting in bleacher number 50 in the back; there must be a time when we actually get our fingers into it,” he commented.
Brewer and White agreed with Willey’s analogy.
“You are right — if you’re going to give your final approval, you’re going to want to be in the parade,” Brewer said.
School Board Chair John Sjostedt is one of three board members on the district’s building committee, and informed Willey that “it’s my understanding that once we get up and running, there will be a lot of different committees that will be looking for other people.”
White said that during the May 6 school board meeting, architects will be present to give a presentation on the project.
The architects will also be making a presentation on Thursday, April 9, to meet with the staff at Hilltop, Teague Park and Caribou Middle School at the Caribou Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m.; on the 10th, the architects meet with the building committee once more before heading back to Portland.
“Two busy half-days coming up with them, and then they’re returning May 5, 6, and 7,” White said. “That’s when they get to sit down with all the teachers.”
In those three days, the architects have scheduled meetings with 23 different groups to discuss the project.
The next meeting of the RSU 39 board on Wednesday, April 15 will take place in the brand new board room at the learning center, and White publicly recognized Wayne St. Peter and his crew for really a job well-done with balancing their everyday labors while constructing a new board room.
White also announced that for the first time in decades, the high school year book will be lacking a familiar name.
“Those of you who graduated Caribou High School remembered Margit Studios, that have been taking the senior pictures for the yearbook forever,” White said, herself a CHS alumnae. “They have informed us that they are no longer going to do that.”
White said that the RSU will put an ad in the paper announcing their need of a new provider of portraits for the school, starting next year.
