PARIS — Maine School Administrative District 17 unanimously approved the first reading for policies KCD Public Gifts/Donations to Schools and BDE Board Committees during Monday night’s board of directors’ meeting.

The policy for gifts and donations clarifies the process when third parties make financial gifts to the district, according to Norway Director Curtis Cole, who sits on the policy committee. Bequests are received by the district’s superintendent, with the school board then voting whether to accept; those that require excessive cost to the district for maintenance or installation may be refused.

Policy BDE Board Committees states that directors are appointed to ad hoc committees by the school board chair. The finance committee is classified as a standing committee and is elected by board vote. One adjustment from the previous policy is that directors will be recommended to serve on two (rather than one) committees.

Director Mark Heidmann of Harrison added that the policy committee increased its recommendation to two to ensure that each board committee include enough members to provide a wide perspective on business items before they are added to meeting agendas for the entire board to vote on.

SAD 17’s finance committee is currently comprised of directors Lew Williams and Amanda Fearon of Hebron, Jennifer Russell of Norway, Kitty Winship of Waterford. and Heidman, with Finance Director Carrie Colley serving as administrative liaison.

There are six ad hoc committees: budget, operations, curriculum, personnel, negotiations and policy. Directors Mark Heidmann of Harrison, Kelly Jacobson and Peter Wood of Norway, Jennifer Russel of Paris and Williams sit on the budget committee, with district Colley serving as administrative liaison.

Director Diana Olsen of Otisfield, Veronica Poland of West Paris, Gary Smith of Oxford, Kelly Jacobson of Norway, Fearon, Williams and Wood sit on the operations committee, with Colley serving as administrative liaison.

Rose Lacasse of Harrison, Gay De Hart of Oxford, Judy Green of Waterford, Anna Gregoire of Otisfield, Donna Marshal of West Paris, Christie Wessels of Paris, Heidmann and Smith sit on the curriculum committee, with Curriculum Director Jill Bartash serving as administrative liaison.

Directors Nathan Broyer and Shauna Broyer of Oxford, Jared Cash and Curtis Cole of Norway, Jacobson, Gregoire, Russell and Winship sit on the personnel committee, with Superintendent Heather Manchester serving as administrative liaison.

Cole, Poland, Winship and Wood sit on the negotiations committee, with Manchester serving as administrative liaison.

Nathan Broyer, Shauna Broyer, Cole, Green, Heidmann, Marshal, Olsen and Wessels sit on the policy committee, with Assistant Superintendent Steve Ciembroniewicz serving as administrative liaison.

The board voted to accept three gifts to the school district. An anonymous donor gave $700 worth of soil, plants, materials and volunteer hours to improve the entrance sign and island at Otisfield Community School.

New Balance donated shoes to students valued at $7,430 and Dr. Binette of Poland Animal Hospital donated $500 to be used for apparel for the high schools boys’ soccer teams.

In other business, the board unanimously approved adjustments to the district’s art curriculum as recommended by Maine Department of Education. The new curriculum shifts priority of art class assignment standards from the product/project to the process, including materials used, creativity and students’ connections with their art.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Paul Bickford reported that as the school year gets underway, faculty and staff are focused on initiating positive behavioral intervention supports, social and emotion learning, classroom instruction and student feedback.

He recognized OHCHS’ guidance department, Assistant Principal Tara Pelletier and Nancy Mclean of Oxford Hills Technical School for rallying when one guidance counselor resigned on the first day of school, and IT staff with setting up new devices and distributing them to students in a short window of time.

During her administrative update, Manchester relayed to directors that she, Ripley and Cash recently met to review and fine tune the district’s strategic plan.

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