PARIS — School Administrative District 17 board Chairwoman Diana Olsen of Otisfield opened Monday night’s meeting by welcoming incoming Directors Peter Wood of Norway and Julia Lester of Paris.

It was the first in-person meeting since the beginning of the pandemic and the final meeting for Superintendent Rick Colpitts who is retiring June 30 after serving 11 years.

Director Sarah Otterson of Paris reported on behalf of the Curriculum Committee that SAD 17 has seen marked improvement for kindergarten students. School officials and educators from Otisfield, Harrison and Oxford elementary schools presented the committee with results from the reading curriculum.

“According to Kim Desjardins, literary coach from Oxford, in 2019 kindergarten students were not reading,” Otterson said. “Not able to identify letters and sounds for those letters. In January 2021, 91% of Oxford students tested showed they knew their letters and sounds.

“These improvements will allow educators to really determine which students need intervention and what those interventions are,” she said.

Director Bob Jewell of Paris asked how other schools would follow suit.

“Early on, I know that Oxford excelled with Star tests,” he said. “Some of the other schools seemed to be lagging behind. So, are the other schools in the district doing as good a job as Oxford at using this data?”

“West Paris and Hebron schools have also piloted it,” Otterson said.

Colpitts added that every school in the eight town district is doing the same.

“The short answer is that they are getting much better,” he said. “There is a learning curve. Oxford had the advantage of being the early pilot school and had a lot of assistance. Heather (Manchester, curriculum director) has scheduled a number of teacher support and professional development opportunities around it. I would say almost all teachers are using the data.”

During his report, Colpitts told directors he has been working with incoming Superintendent Monica Henson, taking her on tours of all schools and meeting weekly via Zoom conference.

“She has shared some plans she has for changes and shifts administratively and I am excited for you,” he said. “She is a dynamic individual and I look forward to hearing about her successes. Well done on your selection. It’s exciting to see some of the plans she has for this district.”

The board voted unanimously to accept the votes from the June 8 budget referendum, enter the results in the district’s records and to send certified copies to the town clerks of the eight communities.

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