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Maine School Administrative District No. 27

Issue 21: December 2017

SAD27 MONTHLY

MSAD NO.27’s Vision is to provide a challenging and meaningful learner-centered education that empowers each individual to become a responsible, self-directed, productive citizen living and working in a 21 st century global society.

SAD27 Bus Driver Saves 58 Lives On November 21, 2017, Mr. Arnold Dubois, part time bus driver for the district, saved the lives of the 58 passengers on board his bus when he reacted quickly to a passenger vehicle who veered into the opposite lane, striking the bus nearly head on. Reacting as quickly as possible, Mr. Dubois steered the bus away from the vehicle upon impact, and managed to keep the bus upright as it entered a ditch and over the end of a driveway. The accident occurred in New Canada at approximately 2:20pm as the bus was returning from a field trip in Caribou where Valley Rivers Middle School 7th and 8th graders had been all day. This was one of two SAD27 buses transporting the VRMS students back to school. Fortunately, all students on the bus, along with all the teacher chaperones, and Mr. Dubois were safe. Following protocol, several MSAD27 students were taken to Northern Maine Medical Center for precautionary measures after stating that they hit their heads on the backs of seats. SAD27 Director of Transportation, Peter Saucier, reflected, “The accident could have been much worse if Mr. Dubois would have not been able to hold the bus steady as it entered the ditch on the side of the road.” He felt that Mr. Dubois’ experience and quick thinking is why none of the bus passengers were injured, and the bus remained on all four wheels. Dubois retired as a full time bus driver in June of 2016 after 48 years of service to SAD27. Since then, he has come back as a part time driver, helping with regular and special school bus runs. When asked about the accident, Dubois reflected, “We took quite a bump when we hit the end of that driveway, and it was pretty scary, but we were lucky!” Several hours after the incident, SAD27 learned that the driver of the passenger vehicle was released from Northern Maine Medical Center with only minor injuries.

Issue 21: December 2017

Contents: Cover Story Retired SAD27 bus driver saves the lives of 58 passengers on board his bus. Page 2 Town of Eagle Lake votes to withdraw from SAD27. Page 3 The Maine Department of Education continues regionalization efforts with two regional projects. Page 4 Community High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team wins Northern Maine Regional Championship. Page 4 Important Dates for December 2017 Page 5 Community High School Varsity Winter Sports Schedules.

Did you miss an earlier issue of the Monthly? Simply go online to: https://goo.gl/DPZvDj to access the newsletter archive or email the Superintendent of Schools @ [email protected] to get added to our Newsletter email list.

For more information about this incident, go to the Fiddlehead Focus article: https://goo.gl/4psd1i

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Maine School Administrative District No. 27

Issue 21: December 2017

Eagle Lake Votes to Withdraw from SAD27 After over 2 years since the Eagle Lake Withdrawal Committee was formed to explore the possibility of leaving the district, the voters of Eagle Lake took to the polls on November 7, 2017 to weigh in on the decision. After the vote, the results were 190 to 94 in favor of withdrawing from SAD27. As a requirement for withdrawal from a School Administrative District, a two-thirds majority vote was needed to support the withdrawal. Based on the 284 voters that cast their vote, 189 votes were required for a two-thirds majority, resulting in a successful withdrawal by one vote. This comes at a time when SAD27 is looking at regionalization efforts with neighboring SAD33 and Madawaska Schools to provide more educational opportunities to the students of the Upper St. John Valley, while providing relief to the local taxpayers by working collaboratively with our neighboring districts. The Maine Department of Education has been encouraging collaborative efforts by school districts and has already awarded over $600,000 to our Tri-District collaborative. The DOE has also provided more grant opportunities and a comprehensive regional high school to be awarded in the next few months. SAD27, SAD33, and Madawaska Schools are a state finalist for this regional school. Unfortunately, since the withdrawal is effective, Eagle Lake will not have a voice in the regional efforts or the future of the SAD27 district. The following morning after the November 7 vote, SAD27 Superintendent of Schools Ben Sirois inquired with the Eagle Lake town manager Sandra Fournier regarding a possible recount of the vote. At that time, Mrs. Fournier provided the following information: Statute 30-A M.R.S.A. §2532 that governs municipal referendum recount procedures requires that a written application (petition) must be received within 7-days. The petition must contain signatures of 10% or 100, whichever is less, of the registered voters in Eagle Lake. The total registered voters in Eagle Lake is 671. SAD27 was informed on November 15 that no such petition for a recount was provided to the town manager. Several days later, the Maine Department of Education submitted a Certificate of Withdrawal to SAD27, signifying that Eagle Lake had completed all the necessary steps of the withdrawal process and that the town would officially be independent of the district on July 1, 2018. By that date, the town will be responsible for creating their own school department of the town, which will include forming a school board, hiring a Superintendent of Schools, and meeting the terms of the withdrawal agreement with SAD27 among other requirements. Additionally, as part of the withdrawal agreement, the Eagle Lake Elementary School is transferred to the town of Eagle Lake. The deed of the building is currently being processed to transfer the ownership to the town and should be completed in the next few weeks. It is too early to determine what the financial impact will be on the district with regards to state subsidy and tuition agreements. The withdrawal does however change the cost share amendment agreement that was previously accepted by the district in July. At that time, the voters agreed to move to a 100% pupil count for any additional local funds needed for the SAD27 budget. With the withdrawal of Eagle Lake, the cost share defaults to a 50% pupil count / 50% valuation for that additional local raised.

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Maine School Administrative District No. 27

Issue 21: December 2017

School Management Leadership Centers (SMLC’s) As part of Maine’s plan for putting students first, the Maine Department of Education is focused on improving educational services and increasing student achievement through innovative regional partnerships. As a result of the passage of the biennial budget and the end of the 128th Legislative Session, new opportunities are now available to provide support for regional efforts that will improve opportunity and access for Maine students by economizing on and maximizing educational services. These regional efforts come with funding incentives as those school districts who agree to submit plans to form an SMLC are guaranteed more state subsidy than those who don’t. While some districts view this as a penalty, the Maine DOE has been clear that they are moving forward to reduce subsidy for system administration and increase subsidy for classroom instruction. By agreeing to form an SMLC, the DOE recognizes that some districts are serious about regionalization efforts and will support those efforts with financial incentives. SAD27, SAD33, and Madawaska Schools have submitted their Part 1 application to form an SMLC, targeting programs and services that have already been regionalized or are targeted for the 2018-19 school year. These programs and services include: Curriculum Coordinator services, Adult and Continuing Education services, shared teaching services, and shared professional development.

Fund for Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES) The State of Maine has announced yet another grant opportunity for the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services (FEDES) to assist in financing the cost of local and regional initiatives to improve educational opportunity and student achievement through more efficient delivery of education programs and services. The superintendents of SAD27, SAD33, and Madawaska Schools have been working on the FEDES grant in the hopes to continue to build on regional projects that started this year with the award of the EMBRACE grant, which provided $625,000 to our regional schools. The goals and projects of the FEDES grant will hopefully continue the work that has begun and build upon them for more student opportunities.

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Maine School Administrative District No. 27

Issue 21: December 2017

Warrior Boys Capture Northern Maine Championship

The 2017 Boys Soccer season ended at the state championship where the North Champion Fort Kent Warriors faced the South Champion Maranacook Black Bears. Although the game was hard fought, the Black bears scored the game’s only goal in the final minute of regulation time to seal the victory. The Warrior boys finished the regular season as the #1 seed in the North with a record of 11-1-2. They rolled in playoffs defeating George Stevens Academy 4-0 in the regional final game. Great season for the Warrior boys!

Important Dates in December 2017 Monday, December 4, 2017 • Regular School Board Meeting @ 6:00pm in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at CHS. Friday, December 8, 2017 • Board of Visitors Business Breakfast @ 7:30am at the Nadeau Hall Conference Room @ UMFK. The focus presentation will be on the Tri-District Collaborative Efforts. Saturday, December 9, 2017 • Millinocket Half Marathon @ 10:00am in Millinocket Maine. Twenty-Seven SAD27 employees will be participating in this year’s half marathon. Monday, December 11, 2017 • Late Start for all SAD27 students (11:00am) - Teacher Professional Development. Friday, December 15, 2017 • PreK-2 Christmas Concert @ 9:00am at the UMFK gymnasium. • Grades 3-6 Christmas Concert @ 1:00pm at the UMFK gymnasium. Thursday, December 21, 2017 • Early Release (12:00pm) for Christmas Break December 22 – January 1 • No School – Christmas Holiday Break Monday, October 23, 2017 • Early Release for all SAD27 Learners @ 12:00pm due to professional development.

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Maine School Administrative District No. 27

Issue 21: December 2017

Warriors Varsity Basketball Schedules