School Union 29’s superintendent’s office would be located in Poland.
MINOT – The School Committee on Tuesday night gave its support to a plan to relocate the School Union 29 superintendent’s office to Poland. The site is on Route 26 at Aggregate Road.
Superintendent Nina Schlikin said the building search committee was pleased with the location.
Searchers had considered various properties, from restaurants to dance halls, in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland but had trouble making the budget stretch to cover all expenses.
“Here, the town of Poland is already planning to build the bus dispatch building and we’ll be able to piggyback onto it,” said Schlikin.
Schlikin noted that virtually all of the $250,000 earmarked for the new central office will be able to be used for the actual structure. The water supply and septic system will already be there and there will be no cost to purchase the land, which Poland owns.
“In terms of cost, it is an enormous gift to us,” said Schlikin.
She also pointed out that since Poland will oversee building construction, Union 29’s director of operations Gordon Murray will be freed of that burden.
A few details remain to be worked out before the relocation becomes fact. The Mechanic Falls and Poland school committees will have to approve it and Poland will need to amend its Department of Environmental Protection permit.
The School Committee also questioned teachers and Principal Don Bilodeau regarding the school’s detention procedures.
The cause of concern was whether there was consistency between what the policy stated would be done and how it was actually going to be carried out.
At the end of the discussion, Bilodeau was instructed to rewrite the policy detailing steps in clear order regarding what would lead to detention for what are essentially disciplinary measures. The question of how detention might be applied for students’ failure to turn in their homework was put on hold, with a suggestion that a committee look into it.
Schlikin, addressing potential problems of having to make up school days lost when the school’s well failed in December, recommended that two of the four days missed be made up during February vacation.
The School Committee, appreciative that Schlikin’s advice had educational advantages, still noted it might be difficult to implement as a last-minute change in vacation plans.
The committee agreed to advise parents that there might be a need to use a few days during the April vacation as make up time and that they should plan accordingly. The committee hopes that between now and April when snow day numbers are known they will be able to calculate if other days need to be made up.
The committee also took under advisement Principal Don Bilodeau’s alternate solutions for classroom assignments for the next three years. At issue is how to handle multi-grade classes to accommodate a couple of “bubble” years when enrollment spikes.
The committee also met with parent Wendy Simard who said she was going to head up the public relations effort to acquaint townspeople with the proposed performing arts center addition at Minot Consolidated School.
Simard said she was putting together information for a flyer that will be delivered to people giving them project facts. Committee members directed her to several sources that will help her in obtaining the information she needs.
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