FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit [RSU] 9 board of directors met Sept. 10 to discuss professional development [PD] initiatives for the 2024-25 school year and review the use of additional Bjorn funds for the Mt. Blue Middle School culinary room.

Monique Poulin, assistant superintendent for instruction, curriculum & grants, presented the district’s aligned PD framework. She explained that leadership teams spanning pre-kindergarten through grade 12 meet regularly to ensure that professional development supports the district’s strategic goals.

“We meet monthly throughout the year and talk mostly about how to design well-structured relevant professional development,” Poulin said. “This work took place not last year but the year before… just thinking about what we hope for our students in their journey through school and as we send them out into the world beyond our walls.”

Poulin noted that the professional development document is intended to be “fluid,” allowing for adjustments throughout the year. “When we put this strategic plan together, we didn’t have the updated goals that Elkington shared last year, so we will update that,” she said, emphasizing that the document would be revised to include current goals.

Superintendent Christian Elkington praised the comprehensive approach to aligning professional development with the district’s strategic plan, highlighting the importance of collaboration among staff and the community. “This is a layered, organized approach that keeps us focused on the strategic plan,” Elkington said. “I can’t say thank you enough for the different groups and for the work that was done three years ago.”

The board also discussed the allocation of $200,000 in additional Bjorn funds to complete the domestic kitchen at Mt. Blue Middle School’s culinary room. The funds had been mistakenly allocated to another line but were intended for middle school programming.

Elkington explained the difference between domestic and commercial kitchen setups, with the latter requiring costly commercial hoods for safety reasons. “If we were going to go with the commercial setup… it would be upward of $200,000 just for the commercial hoods,” Elkington said. “But from a domestic side, we can use regular kitchen hoods… as long as there’s no frying taking place.”

A board member asked if the installation of commercial hoods was necessary for student safety. Elkington clarified that the commercial hoods are primarily a safety measure to prevent grease fires, but that the current domestic setup would be sufficient for now. “To go from domestic to commercial would be a big step, and so I don’t see that as something in the next few years that we even need to do,” he said.

The board voted unanimously to approve the use of the Bjorn funds to enhance the culinary program.

In other business, the board approved an overnight field trip for Mt. Blue High School students attending the All-State Music Festival at the University of Maine at Orono. “It’s always great to have our kids go to All-State,” Elkington said.