MEXICO — Superintendent Deborah Alden says she supports changes being proposed for Maine Department of Education Regional Service Centers.

At a Regional School Unit 10 board of directors meeting last week, Alden said she agrees with the Maine School Superintendents Association’s that changes need be made.

She said the MSSA pointed to three issues that must be addressed in order for district to move forward with joining the Regional Service Center.

In November, RSU 10 joined with five other districts to apply for Part 1 of the Maine Department of Education’s RSC’s: RSU 9’s Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, School Administrative District 44’s Telstar Regional High School in Bethel, RSU 56’s Dirigo High School in Dixfield, RSU 58’s Mt. Abram High School in Salem, and RSU 78’s Rangeley Lakes Regional School in Rangeley joined with RSU 10 to submit Part 1 of the MDOE application.

Originally, RSU 73’s Spruce Mountain High School in Jay was said to be joining the other districts but they did not.

The MSSA Position Paper requested three changes to the RSCs: “Implementation (of Regional Service Centers) must be delayed by 1 year so (that) interested school systems can create comprehensive inter-local agreements that assure the centers are in the best interest of the districts and the students they serve.”

And, “The penalties and consequences must be eliminated (and) the law must allow districts to get out of or dissolve a regional center, if it is not working as intended.”

Alden said that RSU 10 and the other RSUs were sent a notification from the Maine State Department of Education on Dec. 15 saying that they have accepted Part 1 of their RSC application. “We’ve met the minimum criteria,” Alden said. Application for Part 2 is due April 15.

“There’s a lot of pieces (of RSCs) that need to be decided by the legislature because there are some big questions that people need to have answered before they agree (to form an RSC) before they feel comfortable voting to go into this, I think,” Alden said.

If the schools decide to proceed with Part 2 of the RSC application the towns will have to have an interlocal agreement between the districts and the towns will have to vote their approval for the RSCs in June, she said.

In other matters, school board director Jeremy Volkernick of Rumford sent his letter of resignation to the RSU 10 board at their meeting. Volkernick has been hired as a bus driver and custodian for the RSU, Alden said. The board will inform the town of Rumford that a new director will need to be appointed to the vacant position.

RSU 10 appointments:

* Tammy Tatlock, Buckfield Junior/Senior High School girls’ junior varsity basketball coach.

* Bob Keene, BJSHS boys’ junior varsity basketball coach and BJSHS varsity baseball coach.

New Hires:

* Judith Houghton, rehired as the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant. Houghton retired for a month in December and she was rehired as the administrative assistant.

* Courtney McPherson, Mountain Valley High School Special Education Ed Tech III.

* Silvia Lutick, MVHS nordic coach.

* Mike Smith, BJSHS boys’ varsity basketball coach.

* Jeremy Volkernick, MVHS bus driver and custodian.

Resignations and retirements:

* Paula Puiia, Building, Grounds and Transportation Administrative Assistant has submitted her letter of retirement effective June 30, 2018.

* Connie McKenna, Mountain Valley Middle School Special Education Ed. Tech III has submitted her letter of retirement effective June 30, 2018.

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