JAY — At the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, Robyn Raymond, director of Spruce Mountain Adult Education provided more information about the increase in younger students using those programs.

On Nov. 14 Regional School Unit 73 board of directors are given more information about Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education seeing more students aged 16-20 using its programs. The adult education program is located at right in the Central Office, 9 Cedar Street in Livermore Falls. File photo

On Oct. 10 Raymond told the board, “We are seeing a significant increase in young students. When I last reported to the state the number of students we were serving between the ages of 16 and 20, over a six month period we had 36 students enrolled. For this year, in just one month we are serving 46 students between the ages of 16 and 20.” She emphasized what she was sharing is a complex issue, that there are many factors at play.

On Thursday Raymond said, “While I wish the state reporting system could be black and white in terms of pulling consistent data subsets from year to year, when state or federal regulations change, sometimes the implementation of those new standards skews numbers or makes historical data unable to be compared.”

In Fiscal Year ’21 there were 35 students ages 16-20 using adult education, Raymond said. In 2022 there were 38, 51 in 2023, and it dipped to 40 in ’24, she noted. “We know now, not even halfway through the school year we are at 46.”

Raymond said, of those, 12 completed the HiSET program in FY21, nine each in FY22 and FY 23, and 13 in FY 24. In the last two months, four students this year completed the HiSET requirements, she noted.

“I want to be sure that I am not just giving you numbers and statistics – it’s important to me that this is a dialogue and you are getting your questions answered about the trends we are seeing in adult education,” Raymond shared in her report to the board. “Numbers, charts, and graphs do not always tell the whole story. Looking at these numbers, we know that each is a person living in our community, and their unique circumstances impact how they show up for learning. While their learning time may be impactful for them, it can also be true that their lack of skill gain or continuous enrollment looks poorly on data reports. Looking at the big picture and serving the learner is the ultimate goal.”

Director Tina Riley of Jay asked if the younger students using adult education were eligible to be in high school, were opting not to.

They are eligible to be in high school unless they were expelled, Raymond responded. The reasons are multifaceted, she said. Some students drop out, some move into the area after turning 18. Students not being able to succeed during COVID-19 online schooling or homeschooled students who lacked oversight now want diplomas, she noted. “There are so many different scenarios,” she said.

Raymond said she has the numbers, every number is a person with their own unique set of circumstances.

Riley asked if Raymond felt she had the resources and the capability to work with that population, if something different was needed to support those students.

“I would definitely say that we’re seeing success, and I have an incredible staff,” Raymond replied. “I just could not, we could not do what we do without them, hands down. But what the one trend that I’m seeing that we just can’t seem to address, is mental health needs. And my staff, they’re not social workers, they’re not counselors.”

Director Holly Morris of Livermore asked if there were programs in the area those students could be referred to.

The district has counselors in the middle and high schools who are paid for by the state, Superintendent Scott Albert said. A meeting is being set up with Albert, Raymond and Melissa Chase to see if the grant program can be expanded to get help for those 16-20-year-olds, he noted.