Stephanie Garcia, a graduate of Mountain Valley High School in Rumford and the University of Maine at Farmington, was hired by the Regional School Unit 10 board Monday to teach fifth grade at Rumford Elementary School.
MEXICO — Regional School Unit 10 directors voted Monday night to hire Stephanie Garcia as a fifth grade teacher at Rumford Elementary School.
Principal Jill Bartash recommended her to the board.
“She’s an energetic, coachable, team player and we feel fortunate to have her joining our staff,” Bartash said Tuesday.
Garcia is a graduate of Mountain Valley High School and the University of Maine at Farmington.
In other business, Superintendent Deborah Alden said she was impressed that the Drug Abuse Resistance program is celebrating its 30th year in Rumford. A celebration will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford.
Alden told directors the district was given first priority by the Maine Department of Education for $900,250 to replace the leaking roof at Mountain Valley High School. “It was really good to be approved for this,” she said.
“We also got a Homeland Security grant of $1,390 from Oxford County Emergency Management Agency for a keyless entry (system) at (the high school),” she said.
Also Monday, the board decided to set up a committee on reorganizing the board because five of the 12 towns in the district have withdrawn.
Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru voters voted last year to leave and have formed RSU 56, which begins operating July 1.
Byron also voted last year to leave RSU 10, leaving Hanover, Buckfield, Sumner, Hartford, Mexico, Roxbury and Rumford.
Board members plan to discuss the composition of the reorganized board at a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, at the RSU 10 central office, 33 Nash St. in Dixfield.
Also Monday, principals from Hartford-Sumner Elementary School, Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, Mountain Valley High School and Middle School, Meroby Elementary School and Rumford Elementary School presented updates on their budget goals for 2017-18.
“In general we’re looking for an additional teacher at Mountain Valley Middle School because of class size numbers and we’re looking to increase our guidance services at (Mountain Valley High School),” Alden said.
The next board meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 13, at Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Mexico.
Mountain Valley High School teacher Trudy Cormier of Rumford spoke to Regional School Unit 10 directors Monday night as a “concerned taxpayer and parent,” saying RSU 10 needs to put students first.
Former Regional School Unit 10 Director Brad Gallant of Rumford addresses the board Monday evening. “The sharing of any services (with RSU 56 in Dixfield) should be minimal, if nonexistent,” he said.