Job security, slow economy allows the district to retain employees.
By Jim Smedley
Staff Writer

OXFORD – SAD 17 was able to retain more of its 300 teachers this year than in any of the past five years.

And that is just fine with Assistant Superintendent Mark LaRoach.

He said an average of 30 teachers per year had to be replaced over the past five years. The district hired 18 new teachers for the 2003-04 school year.

LaRoach said many other districts in the state have been unable to maintain their range of programs and services due to budget constraints.

He said that the down economy put a lot of pressure on the education budget and the state allocation, which had grown, but not as much as in years past.

The state allocation is money given to schools and school districts to operate. Student enrollment is part of the formula for determining the amount of money given to each entity.

LaRoach said of Maine’s 16 counties, only York and Cumberland counties showed gains in enrollment this year.

Superintendent Mark Eastman said SAD 17’s enrollment nine years ago was 3,800 students. This year it is about 3,600.

LaRoach said reductions in funding lead to cuts to programs and services that lead to reduction of personnel.

One of the reasons teachers have stayed in their districts is that there are fewer places to go, according to LaRoach. And once a teacher leaves for another district, he/she goes on a 2-year probationary period, as required by state law. If that district happens to downsize, the probationary teachers often are the first ones to be cut.

Teachers leaving a district give up job security.

“We were lucky. We escaped the bullet in reduction of force,” LaRoach said. “Other districts let many qualified individuals into the market.

“The pool was deep,” he said. “We hired many individuals with previous teaching experience.”

LaRoach said he believes teachers stay in SAD 17 because of the quality of life in the Oxford Hills area, the commitment to quality education and staff development.

He said some districts pay teachers a higher salary, but SAD 17 is second to none when it comes to staff development.

“With the opportunities we offer, we are the premier district in central and western Maine,” LaRoach said.

He said the district offers workshops, tuition reimbursement and assists in acquisition of advanced degrees. He said SAD 17 is also rich in things that matter to teachers like the environment they operate in and the district’s commitment to students and staff.

LaRoach added that teachers look at the new schools built here and know that the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School was named in the top 100 innovative schools in the United States two years ago.

“It matters to teachers. The environment they operate in matters to teachers,” LaRoach said.

LaRoach said part of the attraction to SAD 17 is stability of employment, as the district has not been cutting staff.

“The bottom line is that we’re lucky to have this staff,” LaRoach said.

jsmedley@sunjournal.com

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