PARIS — The Maine School Administrative District 17 board of directors Tuesday unanimously approved Director Veronica Poland’s application to serve on the board of directors for Maine Vocational Region 11.
She joins MSAD 17 Directors Lewis Williams of Hebron and Peter Wood of Norway.
Director Veronica Poland of West Paris, right, listens to discussion at Tuesday night’s meeting of Maine School Administrative District 17 in Paris. She was unanimously appointed to serve on the Maine Vocational Region 11 board. Director Kelly Jacobson of Norway is at left. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat
Lisa Dunham of Oxford previously held the Region 11 seat, even after stepping down from her SAD 17 post earlier this year. According to MSAD 17 board Chairman Troy Ripley, Dunham has expressed a desire to reapply to the board should another vacancy arise.
The makeup of Region 11’s board was a major discussion during the meeting.
Oxford Hills Technical School School enrolls students from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, which hosts the tech school, and Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, which serves the Regional School Unit 10 towns of Buckfield, Sumner and Hartford.
At issue is whether the Region 11 board, with two directors from Hartford and nine from Oxford Hills, would benefit from having its representation adjusted.
The charter agreement for Region 11 calls for nine of its 11 directors to be appointed by SAD 17, and at least one be a SAD 17 director. RSU 10’s school board appoints two parties to the tech school board.
RSU 10 is represented by Hartfield residents Chad Culleton, who also serves on the RSU 10 board, and Steven Campbell.
During discussion, Ripley suggested whether SAD 17’s policy committee should be charged with reviewing the charter agreement and make a recommendation on adjusting on revising how the Region 11 board is seated. The precedent for three SAD 17 directors to sit on the tech school board is based on history, rather than requirement.
“I don’t see a need to make it mandatory for three to be from SAD 17,” Williams said. “But it’s always been my feeling (RSU 10 has) been underrepresented.”
“This may be an opportunity to go back and review the cooperative agreement,” said Director Diana Olsen of Otisfield, who also chairs SAD 17’s selection committee.
“We should talk,” Ripley said, and include Superintendent Heather Manchester about what a review of that cooperative agreement would look like.
Olsen said such a discussion would need to be initiated by the Region 11 board.
In his update as chairman, Ripley talked about the makeup of subcommittees, noting that policy dictates every director serve on at least one and no more than three, but some sit on as many as four. He asked the policy committee to review and recommend whether the policy needs adjusting to even out the workload.
He also reminded directors that all are required to have training on topics such as freedom of information act requirements and compliance.
In other business, directors approved hiring Jamie Toohey as Paris Elementary School assistant principal, and creating a new high school guidance director position.
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