PARIS — After a marathon meeting Monday night, SAD 17 directors approved a plan to reopen schools Tuesday, Sept. 8, that includes a hybrid process for in-school and remote education at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.
Directors also approved changing the school breakfast program to allow students in Harrison, West Paris, Oxford, Norway and Oxford Hills Middle schools to bring breakfast home for the following day, a move that will eliminate the need to social distancing before the start of the school day.
Barry Patrie, SAD 17 school board director from Waterford, admonishes fellow representatives to stop nit-picking details of the district’s reopening plan ahead of the board vote to approve the plan at Monday night’s meeting in Paris. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Ahead of the reopening vote, Director Robert Jewell of Paris made a motion, which was adopted, to separate the decision for fall athletics from that of the curriculum. He also said he found the statewide process for reopening to be rushed and floated the idea of delaying the start of school until October.
Director Troy Ripley of Paris questioned several of the details of the plan, which was presented by Curriculum Director Heather Manchester and Assistant Superintendent Patrick Hartnett.
Director Scott Buffington of Paris spoke of employees expressing frustration with a perceived lack of communication about plans.
School board member Barry Patrie of Waterford took the floor and made an impassioned speech about allowing school officials to do their job without nit-picking from the board.
“This is a good plan,” Patrie declared. “Don’t put obstacles in front of what needs to be done!”
Districtwide professional development is scheduled for next week to provide training to educators and employees on state guidelines and compliance.
In other business, directors voted down a proposal to reclassify the only four secretaries who work in the district for a 52-week period. The Personnel Committee had recommended that the four positions be adjusted to administrative/executive assistant level, which would have increased their salary and benefits compensation by a combined $37,000.
The positions proposed to be changed are the principals’ secretaries at OHCHS and OHMS, the registrar at OHCHS and the secretary for SAD 17’s transportation department. All four employees work through summer breaks with no supervision and are qualified and authorized to make managerial decisions when administrators are not in their respective buildings.
On behalf of employees not included in the proposed change, Waterford Elementary School Secretary Robin Foster spoke against it.
“It makes more sense to dissolve all secretarial classifications and be one unit,” she said. “For four people to get more pay and preferential treatment is wrong.”
Buffington questioned whether the increases were fair when secretaries employed at the other schools must remain in the same job classification.
“My question is whether the change will directly improve classroom education,” said Buffington. “It does not. I am against this.”
OHCHS principal Ted Moccia spoke on behalf of the two secretaries who work at the high school. He said over the last several months the school registrar has committed herself to self-training and understanding how to manage the enrollment systems to accommodate the need to place students in in-school, distance and hybrid education pods, something that no other secretary has had to be responsible for.
“It’s hard to hear comments about the discrepancies in the numbers when these employees do so much more,” Moccia said. “If the raise is big it is because it is appropriate. And the change does impact student education. Without these two there will be no graduations, transcripts.”
The vote on the proposal was eight in favor, 10 opposing and two abstentions. Director Kathy Laplante of Harrison, who serves on the Personnel Committee and supported the change, left the meeting in frustration following the vote.
“These people keep the building going,” Laplante said on Tuesday by phone. “They are an integral part of the SAD 17 administration. They have as much responsibility as the administrative assistants at Central Office, especially during the summer when they they are authorized to make managerial decisions with no supervision.”
Laplante, who worked as the OHCHS principal’s secretary for 10 years, said she is seriously considering stepping down from the Board over the issue.
“The Board does not appreciate, or understand, the disparity in these roles,” she said. “I do not have the same philosophy as it appears they have.”
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