SALEM – Residents of Strong, Kingfield, Avon and Phillips will set the 2015-16 school budget at Mt. Abram High School Thursday evening, with the Mt. Abram Teachers Association intending to bring forward a Declaration of No Confidence in school board signed by the vast majority of the district’s educators.
The budget proposed by the board is $9,434,370. That represents a $347,550 or 3.8 percent increase over the current fiscal year’s budget. According to the district, the budget would represent an increase of $63,000 in the total local share, approximately 1.8 percent. The impact on each of the four towns would be as follows: Avon, increase of $11,588 or 2.9 percent; Kingfield, increase of $10,390 or .7 percent; Phillips, increase of $19,642, or 2.5 percent; and Strong, increase of $21,421, or 2.6 percent. The budget includes carrying forward a balance of $543,600 to help reduce the impact of the budget on the local share.
Those attending Thursday night’s meeting will set the budget by voting on 18 articles. Among these will be an article asking voters for permission to have the board use any additional state funding to further reduce the local tax assessments. The Maine State Legislature has discussed state budget proposals that would put between $25 million and $50 million in additional funds into the General Purpose Aid for education.
In advance of Thursday’s meeting, the Mt. Abram Teachers Association issued a Declaration of No Confidence in the school board “based on a number of trends that are seriously impacting education in MSAD 58,” according to Association member Adam Masterman. As of Wednesday evening, Masterman said that 93 of the teachers and Ed Techs approached about the declaration had agreed with the sentiment, with one opposed. A handful of other employees had been out sick or otherwise unavailable, Masterman said, and the association would try and reach them before the budget meeting.
“We intend to present the statement, along with the final tally of responses, during the district budget meeting on Thursday,” Masterman said.
The declaration calls for a “critical re-evaluation of [MSAD 58’s] leadership direction” due to the district being in “crisis.”
“Currently we are experiencing an unprecedented exodus of staff members at all levels; administrators, teachers and ed techs.,” the declaration reads. “Not only is the cost for filling these positions putting a significant burden on the budget, it’s not clear that quality replacements will be available while the conditions that are driving staff away remain in place.”
Four administrators have announced they will be leaving the district in the past few weeks, including Superintendent Erica Brouillet, Technology Manager Angel Allen, Business Manager Lucy Milewski and assistant principal/athletic director James Black.
Specifically, the declaration indicates that educators are “very disturbed by the recent trend of the Board to go beyond its policy mandate and try to directly administer educational practice in our schools.” The board should instead be setting “broad policy in compliance with the values of the community,” firing and hiring personnel, and not directly addressing subjects such as the allocation of teaching staff and scheduling throughout the school day, the declaration reads. It went on to indicate that such micromanagement was in violation of Maine law and MSAD 58 board policy.
” … Yet an increasing number of administrative decisions are being usurped by the Board,” the declaration reads. ” … These questions require an expertise in education to answer, if we want to promote best outcomes for our students.”
The declaration went on to link what it terms a “disregard for professional expertise” to the ongoing contract dispute between the association and the district, as well as the recent resignations of administrators.
“The ability to reasonably work with employees is vital to any successful enterprise,” the declaration reads, “and the lack of this ability from our leadership is throwing our schools into disarray.”
“We recognize that individual board members try to act in the best interest of our students and schools,” the statement concludes. “However, the present dysfunction is putting our students at serious and immediate risk, and we cannot remain silent when the people and institutions they rely on are being systematically undermined. We, the faculty and staff of MSAD 58, officially submit a declaration of No Confidence in the present Board of Directors.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Mt. Abram High School. The confirmation referendum, which must be passed to approve the budget, will take place on June 9.
The teachers “Expertise” IS THE PROBLEM.
It automatically comes with their union card.
Arrogant.
They act AS IF the educational system that they have had free reign over for decades had been successful
Not successful at all.
Now that we the people are questioning their “expertise”….they scream micromanagement..
What a surprise they don’t like it.
The reason so many are leaving is because the union is making sure everyone is stirred right up.
No one is thinking on the teachers side.just the way the union goons like it.
What a circus the teachers and their union has created…
Come watch the “pout show”.
Typical Union Tactics.
Try thinking for yourselves.
That takes some real expertise..and some courage. Hello.
Expertise: Out of the mouth of…..vice chairmen! Listen to the minutes and you will hear a board take on EVERY issue imaginable and assume that they understand all the facts involved. The honest board members request more time on a subject or ask an employee of the district for clarification. At the last meeting alone, the board decided its expertise could lead them to make decisions about types of seminars our students need, the length of instructional time our students perform highest with, how best to repair bleachers, when athletes should or shouldn’t be cut from sports teams, and how an incoming Tech Director who is a salaried employee could pick up 15 hours of another’s time just to justify paying them more (what exactly does a work week look like that is salaried hours plus another 15?). And the list continues. A board’s job is to make policy, not to be experts about individual topics….that’s why you hire people like Special Ed Directors (who have expertise in Special Ed), Technology Directors (who are experts in technology), math teachers (who are experts in….math!) I’m anti-union, but this is far from a union issue. The vice chair asked why teachers were needed on the hiring committee for the new superintendent, pointing out that the board retained the “good questions” the teachers had asked last year and he felt the board could simply ask them on their own without teacher input. This is about respect. Pro-union/anti-union has nothing to do with it. Draw the line in the sand and those that can show a little respect to staff and students on one side and anyone else can feel free to join the chair and vice-chair on the other side.
Maybe we should have a no confidence vote for the teaching staff. Half the students can’t pass the minimum state requirements in reading or math. The Elementary Schools are on monitor status from the Depart of Education and more than half of the students from MTA that sign up for the University of Maine will be required to take the bridge program. I am sure that this is also the fault of the school board. It takes 2 sides to sign a contract. I would think that you would be ashamed of yourselves for using the students as puppets for your cause. Asking for about two and a half percent increase while your negotiating so that you can better afford to act this way? I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t give it to you? Mean spirited people I would say. They should give you what you want. I agree it is time for the School Board to go. I can’t believe they would be so bold as to try to ask you to do more with your work day. I think it is just down right unreasonable for them to question a 75 minute planning period every 7 hour and 15 minute work day along with a 30 minute mountain time that you agree isn’t the best use of educational time but has remaind unchanged for 15-20 years. You showed them. They aren’t going to tell you what they want you to do at work without getting their lawyer money out. It is time to publish every employee in MSAD #58 salary and benefit package by name, cost per employee and let the public decide if we need to pay more than what has been offered.
Board Observer is correct that this is not a union statement; every teacher and ed tech was asked to give their opinion. This was a communication from educators to the community that charges us with teaching their children. We have a responsibility to the entire community to communicate our professional opinion, precisely because we work for them. As the first comment illustrates, some of those making decisions believe that expertise and experience, not only aren’t valuable, but are a problem! I see teachers struggle every day with reluctant readers, children in emotional crisis, learning disabilities, imperfect curricula, social conflict, and a hundred other barriers to learning. There’s nothing I’m more grateful for than the hard work and expertise of my colleagues, who tirelessly confront these challenges each and every day. The idea that experience and expertise don’t matter is so perniciously harmful to children that I’m nearly at a loss for words.
Board Observer is also correct that some on the Board ARE responsible, DO try to act on the best available knowledge, and DO understand that our kids need trained professionals if they are going to get the best education we can offer them. Unfortunately, those members are losing the fight to preserve the quality of our schools. Those who believe that expertise is worthless are succeeding in driving away those who have it. The community has a right to know what’s going on, and the comment above illustrates the problem very clearly.
Been there, done that, this has happened before…what a shame that history repeats itself….
Responsible teachers would have been out talking their students back in to the school during the recent walkout. Instead children are on the street doing dirty work for them. Unions and government control in our schools; talk about a recipe for failure!
Thank you to all of our school board members. You have chosen to take on a thankless job with very little to no pay (haven’t heard one member demanding a raise) and have worked tirelessly to make our SAD 58 community a better place. The majority of people I have spoke with fully support your efforts, they just might not be as in your face and aggressive as the select naysayers (and union) who seem to oppose everything. Most reasonable thinking adults know you shouldn’t use children and raw emotion as a bargaining chip to force a raise for themselves. Keep up the great work and stand your ground against these union thugs and their tactics, they and all their family (and extended) will be REQUIRED to be out in force tonight!
Just stop! This is ridiculous what we need is a NEW Superintendent who can educate the board and the teachers. Someone who understands this area and can find a way to meditate and solve the problems that MSAD 58 is facing. No more blaming one side or the other it is everyone’s fault. SO now lets solve the problem…the blame game is only making it worse.
RE: new superintendent
Good point about the new superintendent, BUT guess who hires the super and who they are accountable to (unless they have a spine):
The school board.
So unless the board hires someone clever enough not to be their puppet, what are the chances that we’ll get someone competent and impartial who will work to heal and rebuild?
Our last hire is a great example of what the school board wants in a superintendent.
The question that the community needs to examine is whether or not they want a district here. If not, let’s just tear it down and spend the extra million it will cost to send our kids elsewhere.
If you do want a district, replace your board members with people who represent your views, or make sure the existing board members hear you loud and clear.
Trust me this is not about money. This about two sides who have *both* escalated things to a battle instead of a discussion about how to solve a problem, but I believe at the heart of the issue is the core question:
Do the people in this area want a school district?
I don’t think the school board is all bad……..hopefully they will hire a new superintendent that can educate them on their role in the school district. Yes some on the board my not want this but some do. Maybe a good interview question is what is the role of a school board? What step would you recommend to bring the school board and the staff closer to together?
This post proves the adage “liars can’t figure but figures can lie”. Test scores are complicated, and you are interpreting them incorrectly and spouting it as fact, but that could be expected of someone with so little EXPERTISE. Whether it is ignorance or a willful intention to misrepresent the facts, the real truth is that this district is rated higher than ANY of the 8 neighboring districts (on state and national scales) while the teachers salary and benefits package is already LESS than all but one of them, and when the current board decision takes effect we will be at the very bottom of that heap. Teachers in this district have had lower salaries for years, but have always been proud to work here and do their best for area students, as the true results show. It is only recently that the actions of the board have become so destructive that teachers feel unable to continue to do the job as they see fit, which IS based on both EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE. It is sad that people without that don’t accept what a previous board member recommended a year ago; he said “we hired these professionals to do this job, and since we are not professional educators we need to follow their advice”.
The one thing that is definite is that if things don’t change, the achievement of students WILL go down; that is what the teachers are concerned about and why they are taking strong actions now.
It is time for the board (those who are willing) and the teachers to work together and try to rebuild the district for the benefit of the students.
There was a survey put out last year that asked some of those same questions….funny thing is that our board has never allowed the results of the survey to be public. Wonder why?!
“What step would you recommend to bring the school board and the staff closer to together?”
*BOTH* sides are in combat mode at the moment. This conflict has become a matter of the two parties hurling attacks at each other, not two groups working for a common goal.
I’d love to see a complete change of direction. How about a meeting of the two sides where they draw up some articles of agreement? BOTH sides need to agree that things have become heated and unproductive.
Why not sit down and make a list of all the things they agree on?
The district needs to get a good value for it’s money.
The teacher’s experience and expertise needs to be respected.
Student learning and academic welfare is the top priority underpinning *every* decision of both the teacher’s union and the school board.
Could both sides agree to those 3 things? I bet they do, and probably even more. Could they work together to make them happen? I think so, but only if the people have a consensus regarding the core question:
Do we want to continue to have a school district?
Maybe it’s time to desolve the district and have our community elementary schools serve K-12. Paying tuition for students to attend other high schools is expensive and means too much of our kids’ time wasted on busses. If people want more control over their schools, the more local the better. The trend toward consolidation peaked decades ago.
Okay, there are a few points that probably should be thrown out so that the individuals with tunnel-vision may gain a new perspective…
First… Last time I checked, test scores were earned by those taking the test. To solely blame teachers for test scores (which I don’t believe you have all of the facts to speak on the topic to begin with) is absolutely ignorant. Noone blames a basketball coach for their star shooter going 0-20 from the 3-point line, noone blames a driver’s ed instructor for an individual getting into a car crash a week after they get their license… and why? Because at the end of the day it is the RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT, athlete, driver, etc. to PERFORM on those tests.
I can personally tell you that I attended Mt. Abram, and I was by no means a genius – just a good, solid student. And you know why I performed well on tests? It’s because my teachers taught me – JUST LIKE THEY TEACH EVERYONE ELSE – and I actually listened. I actually cared. I actually CHOSE to do well on my test. The fact of the matter is, teachers prepare students for tests and so many factors can impact the students’ success or “failure” – were they paying attention in class, do they care about the test, are they good at test-taking (because as we all know, a number of tests are more about whether or not you are a good test-taker rather than what you actually know). I can tell you that when I went off to college – and a very good college at that, I was MORE prepared than MANY of my peers I had college classes with. I was astonished at what they were not taught.. It was unreal. The fact is – SAD 58 prepared me to succeed – but I CHOSE to SUCCEED as well. I chose to pay attention in class. I chose to read my assignments and do the work – cause guess what folks, it doesn’t happen through osmosis! You actually have to put the work in! So, let’s not be ignorant and start pointing the fingers at teachers for what you consider to be poor test scores – last time I checked it was the students taking the exams. A teacher can try to prepare a student as much as they can, until they’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day, if that student isn’t willing to listen or learn, there’s not a thing the teacher can do.
Are there some teachers in every district that maybe don’t give 100 percent? Well, I mean, of course, AS WITH ANY PROFESSION. Are there some mill workers who punch the clock in and out everyday and don’t stay beyond their “required” hours – yes. What about police officers, store clerks, truck drivers, EVERY profession has some people who punch in, and punch out. I have PERSONALLY stayed with teachers at Mt. Abram and in one of the elementary schools after-hours. I’ve sat in their rooms during THEIR LUNCH BREAK – and they’ve helped me with a board marker in one hand and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the other. We’ve been to their own personal HOUSES so they can help us with a problem we’re having with our studies. So, please don’t ever speak on what you don’t know about – that teachers don’t work their hours.
I can also tell you through my experience that those students who actually CARED about how they did at Mt. Abram in their studies succeeded. Those who didn’t care, didn’t succeed, and of course, they’ll still be finger-pointing and blaming the teachers for why they’re not in their “ideal” profession now. But, my guess is they’re the same kind of people that blame a police officer for pulling them over for speeding, the same kind of people that make excuses and divert responsibility so they never have to take the blame for their own actions or inaction. So, first point made – whether we agree or disagree on test scores, it would be absolutely ignorant to not acknowledge the role a student plays in THEIR OWN SCORE.
My second point- as far as expertise of the teachers is concerned. Last time I checked if you are required to go to college for 4+ years for a degree in an effort to be employed in a particular profession, you probably have some expertise in that area as compared to an individual who did not get the proper training to be i that profession. I didn’t go to school to be a welder. So guess what, someone who did probably has MORE EXPERTISE in that area than I do. I might want to listen to them before I go and try to weld. And, to be fair, if I did try to weld without listening to the EXPERTISE of a trained welder, I would be pretty IGNORANT… So, taking that same way of thinking and applying it to another PROFESSION – teaching… Those who have not acquired a 4-year or higher college degree in education should probably listen to the EXPERTISE of professionals who did – or they can be ignorant and think that they know it all.
I have never, in all my life, seen this much ignorance surrounding a profession. And I’m not talking about the ignorance of the teachers or administration. I am talking about some comments made after articles like this. It’s an absolute embarrassment. Bottom-line is that there is truth to the statement that it takes a village to raise a child. EVERYONE is responsible… Students are responsible for their own learning (and if you don’t agree with that you must be part of the clan that thinks that “everyone deserves a trophy”), parents are also responsible for the education their children receive as they should be ENCOURAGING their children to listen to their teachers, pay attention in class, do their homework, and should be teaching the child the importance of education. Teachers are obviously responsible. Administration is responsible to also teach, and to support teachers as they are the ones who teach.
EVERYONE plays a role – so if you don’t feel the district is successful as it is – you may want to ask yourself WHAT ROLE YOU ARE PLAYING…?
Let’s stop with the ignorance for goodness sakes. It’s an absolute embarrassment. You are embarrassing yourself and your entire area. These kinds of comments are the EXACT reasons why people don’t want to move into the area from “away” and think that we’re a bunch of uneducated, poverty-stricken slugs who just want to sit and complain…. That isn’t the area that I once knew. The kind where the whole town would show up to support the basketball team at a game, the kind of area where people volunteer their personal time to build a playground, etc. I’m sure all of those things still go on there – and it’s sad that negative, nasty comments like these hang over all of the good things that happen like a dark cloud. Shame on all of you. Get your life together and start thinking about what YOU need to do to be a productive citizen in our area if you don’t like how things are going right now. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE????
Aletheia
“Trust me this is not about money.”
But it is…
The teachers are upset because of wage freezes among other things, the school board is upset because they need to divvy up a limited allowance and are being attacked for their decisions, and the people are upset because the school district needs more money from an already poor community.
Captain Planet
“Instead children are on the street doing dirty work for them”
That brings ignorance to an entirely different level. Think back to when you were 16-17. Most will remember being a rebel, or part of a group that went against the grain. The 25 young men and women who walked out are simply (and legally) voicing their opinions and showing their communities that something needs to change, and they are not happy where they are at.
Board Observer
“Draw the line in the sand”
Please do not encourage segregating our community; we NEED to work together to solve this problem. A division in not only leadership but or our young people will only lead to an outcome that will certainly only cause more anger and distress. Whether you like the board or not, agree with the teachers or not, a shattered community can not heal or repair anything.
I would strongly urge any former and current residents of the MSAD 58 community to voice their opinions and concerns to the appropriate outlets. From what I’ve gathered, there are a few zealots on each ‘side’ that are stirring the pot; those people need to understand that what they are doing is inciting, and not fixing. Be logical and think with reason, people!
Actually, its not about the money. Brian Twitchell was very clear on that point at the budget meeting tonight. The lack of fair contracts is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. Teachers can’t work for for a Board that is directly antagonistic towards educators.
Yes, being denied a salary scale is a problem, not because teachers expect more than the community can afford (we live here too), but because denying people contractually agreed-upon steps is devastating to families; and teachers don’t make enough money that they can just ride out three years of rising costs on a fixed income. But nothing about that means that the scale needs to be high; teachers proposed a less expensive scale than the district has seen in almost a decade. What teachers need is just the basic security of a district that honors its salary agreements. If any time teacher’s dissent from the board, they face threats to their financial situation, they simply cannot afford to stay and risk their families’ well-being in such a district.
But that alone would not really fix this problem. Five administrators have resigned in the last two months; that has nothing to do with the teacher contract, and everything to do with people being unable to work in an environment that is openly hostile to their contributions. Teachers know how important good administrators are, we know that we currently have excellent administrators who love our communities, and we are devastated at the thought of what their leaving is going to do to our schools.
Ultimately, this situation is deeply tragic, because we have unbelievably good teachers, administrators and ed techs. If the Board could simply respect and value that, our children would remain in excellent hands. Parents do, alumni do, and those who contribute to our schools as community members in a myriad of small but vital ways do as well. And many Board members are among that group, and are deeply heart-broken over where we’ve arrived. There are more than enough people of goodwill to bring us back to a community that is rightly proud of our schools, and I have remain hopeful that my children will inherit that legacy of community spirit that was such a gift to me in my own life.
My god teachers are a whiney bunch. The school board is a bunch of jerks who micromanage, welcome to any corporate office in America. People always talk about how teachers are so underpaid because of all the grading papers and making assignments they don’t do during their 9-3 workday. Does no one ever have to do paperwork at home? My god, I would love it if my work day ended at 2 or 3 pm and then I just had a meeting or two and some paperwork. There are what, 180 days in a school year? Grow up, some bosses suck. Don’t punish the kids who have to deal with all this squabbling when teachers have fake adult jobs anyways.
Well, maybe we could just clear out the whole lot of them (board, teachers, admin, etc) and use the existing budget to hire a whole new start for our school. This is silly- teachers are holding out for more pay, board members are holding out for a lower budget and some taxpayers are slinging poo left and right. Obviously nothing is going to get done- once it became personal (and frankly I have yet to see a board member post comments disparaging the teachers, but maybe they have and I’ve just missed it) it was all over.
Yeppers:
The reason you have “yet to see a board member post comments disparaging the teachers” is because everyone hides behind the screen names. Anybody that has been to board meetings or has had any interaction with the members and teachers involved knows who is behind almost every one of these posts.
Boohoo I’m guessing you’re pretty uneducated – teachers have “fake” jobs. Seriously? Last time I checked they were responsible for any kind of education you have so grow up. And the last time I checked their school day didn’t start at 9 so before you start opening your mouth and blowing off steam maybe you should understand and actually think about what you’re saying. I’ve seen teachers roll in to the parking lot at 6 am and not leave until well after 6… So, do yourself a favor and stop making comments that make you sound uninformed and ignorant. Get the facts straight and actually speak on something factual.
The fact is, this is a frightening trend all over rural America. Your counties, towns, residents are not generating enough commerce and revenue of any sort to fund infrastructure, This region has been a sinking ship since the 1970’s. You have no marketable resources and no money here. Money and people are flowing away and not coming back.
It’s in the best interests of the remaining population, up and coming youth to be exposed to and recieve highest standards of education and pipeline to careers…which I think you all must accept, for most of us, we will have to move away to find sustainable futures and careers. This area has nothing to offer anyone at this point. It’s a nice place for a camp, get away from the world for a week but absolutely no future for economic and career advancement. This area is too far from market hubs and the ship has sailed….you will not see the money flow back here. Times have changed.
School teacher = part time job. How many days a year do you work, how many hours in a day do you have off, how many minutes during a work day do you have for breaks or to yourself, how many paid sick or personal days do you have off besides all the vacations given during the year? Want more money, really? Do like the rest of private sector does and work more hours! In the good old days most teachers worked summer jobs to make up for working a part time job most of the year.
It seems to me that all involved – teachers, adminstrators, board – should all want the same thing: the best education for students. It looks to me – from WAY outside – that many (most if not all) teachers and administrators and some good people on the board want exactly that. There are a few on the board, however, who have a clearly antagonistic, hostile attitude toward teachers, and that makes absolutely no sense. Fairness, respect, decency, caring for the students should be common ground for all.