KINGFIELD — At their Thursday night meeting, SAD 58 board members reviewed ways to increase revenues that come to the district.

Superintendent Brenda Stevens said schools in other parts of Maine and other states have sold advertising space on buses, report cards and other places. Another fundraising option included adding fees for sports and textbooks.

Stevens also discussed boosting revenues by accepting international students. The district would have to market themselves and provide housing, activities on weekends and transportation. Such a program would not be the same as a standard foreign exchange program and the district would have to develop a marketing plan that would make the area a desirable destination.

Board member Marc Edwards said he researched starting an endowment fund. A $1 million fund returns an average of four percent, so that would add $40,000 to the district’s coffers.

The board also agreed to continue efforts to connect with parents and the community, including a regularly published newsletter. The board must make sure parents and the public understand the district’s mission statement and strategic plan, she said. The board can modify wording but must agree as a group on the message they send to the public.

“The vision and mission statements have come from boards in the past,” Stevens said.

She suggested that the board review both regularly. Stevens also mentioned changes the board should be prepared to understand and address. Some are state and federal mandates, and others reflect standards district policies that may be modified as needed, like emergency and fire safety procedures.

Students also will be required to earn a proficiency-based diploma. Part of the shift will include setting clear definitions of common core proficiencies and standards. The district will begin implementing the plan during the spring of 2014, and the class of 2018 will be the first to graduate with this new, standards-based curriculum.

“It’s going to be a big shift,” Stevens said.

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