Educator Kevin Dailey, far right, addresses Oxford Hills School District directors Monday in Paris about alternative education programs. Standing, from left, are high school junior Dalton Edwards, educator Ray Sutton, junior Kayla Bryant, and Dailey. Seated, from left, are Directors Kitty Winship of Waterford, Anna Gregoire of Otisfield and Julia Lester of Paris. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat
PARIS — The Oxford Hills School District will continue to participate in the Western Maine Regional Program for Children with Exceptionalities, along with districts in Fryeburg and Bethel.
The board of directors voted unanimously Monday night to stay with the program.
Started in 2017, the program’s mission is to keep as many special education students attending school in district as possible. It envisioned serving a maximum of 30 students, although staffing shortages have kept the number lower every year.
Maine School Administrative District 72 in Fryeburg has seven students attending and MSAD 17 in Paris has six. MSAD 44 in Bethel has not sent any students because the program has not been a match for any with specific needs but continues to be a member.
MSAD 72 includes Fryeburg, Lovell, Brownfield, Sweden, Stow and Denmark; MSAD 44 includes students from Andover, Bethel, Gilead, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock.
Among the staffing challenges is retaining a credentialed special education director, which the Maine Department of Education cited in a review of the 2019-20 academic year. The department made allowances until last spring when the program’s board was able to hire a part-time director to fulfill state regulations.
Although the program has not been able to reach its projected capacity of students, MSAD 17 Chief Student Services Officer Jan Neureuther spoke of the benefits it has brought the district and recommended the district continue its participation.
Educators Kevin Dailey and Ray Sutton gave presentations on MSAD 17’s Connections for Academic and Personal Success and Streaked Mountain School, the district’s two alternative education programs for students who do not require special education services but benefit from more supportive class structuring.
“Alternative education is taking it outside the box for the kids who need it,” Dailey said, “and meeting them where they are at emotionally and academically. It’s kind of like special education in that we meet the needs of the kids and develop curriculum for them.”
The programs have a total of 25 students who perform better in smaller settings and include cultivating peer support.
Dailey said one of the main assessments is for students who have historically had poor attendance amid obstacles outside of school. He recommended that the school board consider expanding the programs to middle school students, stressing that providing alternative education options to the younger group would result in less need in the higher grades.
Student representatives joining the board for the first time since last year were senior Elizabeth Dunn, who served part of her junior year, and junior Brendan Palmer attended his first meeting.
They said this week’s Winter Carnival comes after a considerable scaled down event last year. The winter dance Saturday night is the first to be held indoors since 2019.
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