Lewiston School Committee

Monday, Jan. 14

Dingley Building

Leaders elected

What happened: Mark Cayer was re-elected chairman and Monique Roy was elected vice chairwoman.

Superintendent search

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What happened: Although not mentioned at the meeting, the names of three semifinalists for superintendent were announced in a School Department email Monday. They are Christiana Otuwa of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Todd Finn of McDonough, Georgia, and Tracy Racicot of Troy, New York. The department hired BWP & Associates of Libertyville, Illinois, for $21,500 to do a nationwide search.

What it means: The person chosen by the committee will succeed Bill Webster, who is retiring in June.

What’s next: The committee will interview the three candidates.

Accounting position

What happened: An unbudgeted accounting position was approved.

What it means: According to Bobbi Avery, chief administrative officer, an audit of the human resources department recommended hiring more accountants to examine benefits packages for duplications and billings.

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“This will save the district some money,” Cayer said.

What’s next: Nominations are expected to reach the council in the coming weeks.

Great Falls Regional Service Center

What happened: Ward 5 representative Luke Jensen pushed for a meeting with represenatives from SAD 52 in Turner and RSU 16 in Poland to discuss possible changes in the service center agreement made in June 2018. The goal is to save money and increase efficiency.

“We should make it better. It’s not a perfect document,” Jensen told the committee. He said the agreement was rushed to avoid losing state education aid if a state-mandated service center was not formed by a certain time.

What’s next: Cayer will draft a letter to the two school districts to see if they’re interested in a meeting.

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Standards-based learning report

What it means: Assistant Superintendent Shawn Chabot said the subcommittee reviewing standards-based learning requirements is expected to present its findings by the end of March.

What’s next: The latest subcommittee report suggests possible changes to grading standards, including revisiting a Lewiston High School policy that allows for one “makeup assessment per quarter, per course” and shifting graduation standards to focus on individualized education programs.

 


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