PARIS — Maine School Administrative District 17 eliminated an outdated policy about community computer and internet use, approved the revision of how weighted board results are calculated, and approved first readings of two other policies during its Monday night business meeting. All votes were unanimous.
Directors authorized deleting Policy KFA Community Member Computer and Internet Use from the district’s policy database.
“This dates all the way back to 2001,” Director Judy Greene of Waterford and Policy Committee representative told her colleagues. “It relates to long gone technology like the BBS (bulletin board system), which is no longer in use.”
Directors approved the second reading of Policy BD Organization of the Board. Policy BD was revised to recognize slight population shifts from the 2020 U.S. Census that have changed how weighted voting by community is calculated. Hebron gained a vote per director while Otisfield gained three votes. Norway’s and Waterford’s vote weights remained flat. Votes per director for Harrison, Oxford, Paris and West Paris were each reduced by one or two.
The number of representatives per town is unchanged, with Norway, Paris and Oxford sending four directors to the board and Harrison, Hebron, Otisfield, Waterford and West Paris electing two each.
The vote on Policy BD also clarifies that newly elected board members must be sworn in by an agent of SAD 17 and not municipal officials or other designees.
Language revising an advisory committee’s purpose in Policy BDF Advisory Committees and requiring at least one school board director serve on each one was approved during its first reading. The revised policy also clarifies that all advisory committees meetings are open to the public. Changes to Policy BDF were recommended by the Maine School Board Association.
Language in the district’s Policy JHB Truancy was revised to require that the superintendent make two written notice attempts to notify families of student noncompliance with their truancy intervention plan.
In other business, Superintendent Heather Manchester advised that a waiver for school closing on Oct. 26 and 27 needs to be submitted to the Maine Department of Education as a school board request. If DOE grants the waiver, the two school days lost after the Lewison shooting on Oct. 25 will not be counted as snow days.
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