School Board News

October 2008
At our October 2 meeting we passed a tough new Drug and Alcohol Policy that will result in a MANDATORY Expulsion hearing before the Board for students in Grades 6-12 who distribute, dispense, possess, use, or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Current policy allows for multiple infractions before expulsion is considered.

September 2008
At our October 2 meeting we will be voting on a tough new Drug and Alcohol Policy that will result in a MANDATORY Expulsion hearing before the Board for students in Grades 6-12 who distribute, dispense, possess, use, or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Current policy allows for multiple infractions before expulsion is considered.

July 2008
2008 MEA Scores are now posted. You can see how our scores have changed from 2006 to 2008.
You can also see our Grade 4 and 8 MEA scores from 1999-2008.
Here you can compare our individual Elementary School MEA's from 1999-2008

June 2008
The Audit Committee is currently working on finalizing a student survey which will be given annually to all students in Grades 3-12 to measure our progress and determine areas of focus for the following year. This process will be ongoing and a permanent part of improving education in our District. Each year those survey results will be shared and discussed with students to involve them in decision-making, along with our teachers and administrators. Our goal is to make the schools in MSAD 11 second to none!!

Administrators and Teachers have developed both a High School Action Plan and a Middle School Action Plan to address the areas of concern noted in the Academic Audit Final Report.

June 10, 2008
A huge THANK YOU to the people of our MSAD 11 communities who showed their support by voting in favor of the budget approved at the Budget Meeting!
The budget was supported by 60% of the voters. Pittston residents validated the school budget by a vote of 214-128. In Gardiner, the tally was 506-416. West Gardiner passed the budget 275 to 164. Randolph voters approved the plan 190 to 101.

June 2, 2008
PLEASE VOTE ON JUNE 10
The voters adopted a budget at our May 27, 2008 Budget Meeting. The next step is a referendum vote on June 10. Please show your support and Vote!

May 2008
BOARD BUDGET MESSAGE TO THE CITIZENS OF MSAD 11

April 2008
BOARD TO HOLD BUDGET WORKSHOP WITH TOWN OFFICIALS ON APRIL 9
The School Board of Directors will hold a Budget Workshop with Town Officials at the GAHS Little Theater on April 9, 2008 at 7pm to explain the proposed MSAD 11 2008-2009 Budget.

BOARD VOTES TO RETURN TO ORIGINAL GRADUATION DATE
March 19, 2008
Less than a day after the State agreed to waive the minimum day requirement for graduating Seniors, the Board voted unanimously to restore the original graduation date of June 7, 2008. Graduation ceremonies will be held at the Augusta Civic Center.

STATE DECIMATES EDUCATION FUNDING - MSAD 11 TO RECEIVE $600,000 LESS THAN LAST YEAR
March 7, 2008
The Board has scheduled several budget workshops due to a major reduction in State Funding.

BOARD VOTES TO KEEP CUSTODIAN SERVICES "IN-HOUSE"
February 19, 2008
The MSAD 11 School Board voted unanimously NOT to outsource cleaning services for our schools. Outsourcing would have saved the District money had we not become more efficient. But as a result of forming a Committee and just looking at the possibility of outsourcing these services, we searched for ways to save money with our own custodial staff. As a result, taxpayers will now see almost $70,000 in savings each and every year.

ACADEMIC AUDIT NEXT STEPS
February 7, 2008
The next phase in the Academic Audit process is to create a Committee to oversee implementation of the recommendations contained in the Academic Audit Report. The School Board will vote on the proposed membership and charge of this Committee at it's February 13 Meeting.

The key to success is going to be having all of us working together: Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Students, Community and Board Members. Teachers and Administrators, already gathering input from Students, will be developing Action Plans during the month of March, likely to be followed by a Community Forum to bring all of us together to agree on how to attack the issues.

ACADEMIC AUDIT COMMITTEE PRESENTS PLAN
January 17, 2008
After a year and a half of study, the MSAD 11 Academic Audit Committee presented it's Final Report recommending ways to improve education. Three major areas of focus for moving forward will be to
1. Ensure consistency from grade to grade and school to school, and increase student engagement;
2. Make school more relevant to student's interests and abilities, and
3. Make changes to promote student safety, recognition, and respectful behavior.
The next step will be to form an Oversight Committee to coordinate efforts and develop tools to measure progress as we move forward.

STATE APPROVES MSAD 11 PLAN TO REMAIN "AS-IS"
December 14, 2007
The State, in a letter dated December 14, 2007 agreed with us and approved our plan to stay as we are, a new Regional School Unit consisting of Gardiner, West Gardiner, Randolph, and Pittston. Attached to the letter was Exhibit A, which details required savings.
A Statewide listing of Plan Approvals and Denials is posted at DOE's website.
Our website contains complete details on MSAD 11's investigation of Consolidation options.