CARIBOU, Maine — Eastern Aroostook RSU 39’s School Board met Sept. 19 to discuss how the school year is progressing thus far. Several topics were covered during the meeting.
New nutrition guidelines not received well by students
Louise Bray, RSU 39’s food services director, provided a report on how the new menu requirements for school lunch is being received by students.
Bray began by introducing her new intern, Molly Bell from Caribou. Bray advised that the district goal is to provide appetizing meals that meet the new school dietary guidelines created by the federal government and that the students will enjoy. The objectives that have already been accomplished are the addition of more fresh fruit and vegetables and buying local whenever possible. They’ve also added one-percent and fat-free flavored milk, homemade wheat pizza dough and whole-grain rolls. All chicken nuggets and patties, French toast sticks, breads and tortillas are pretty much all whole grain.
According to Bray, the changes in nutritional guidelines for 2012 are: previous requirements for fruits and vegetables were one-half to three-quarters of a cup. The new requirements are three-quarters to one cup plus one-half to one cup of fruit per day. Previously there were no sub-groups, but now there are. For example, when they plan vegetables, they now have to plan one-half cup of dark green, one-half cup of red/orange and one-half cup of beans or peas before they can plan to have starchy or other vegetables. For meat or meat alternates, they have a minimum of one and a half to two ounces, but they now have maximums, which they didn’t have before. The same applies with grains; they had eight servings per week with a minimum of one serving per day, but now they have maximums. Half of the grains must be whole grain and milk must be fat-free or low-fat unflavored.
Bray advised that she and her staff now must also post each day what the meal consists of for the students to see.
Board Member Scott Willey asked how the reception has been. Bray replied that it’s been tough and the students are not happy. She advised the calorie and grain restrictions are not going over well and that a lot of the vegetables are ending up in the trash.
RSU 39 Superintendent Franklin McElwain asked Bray if she thought the changes that had happened prior to the regulations going into effect had helped make the transition a little bit easier. She advised that, yes, that did help, but the current changes have still been dramatic. She mentioned that she met with Aroostook County food directors regarding the changes once a month during the summer to get RSU 39’s menus to meet the new guidelines and that the schools had to meet the guidelines by October to qualify to receive .06 cents more per meal from the government, which they did by the week before the school board meeting.
McElwain then asked about how much more complicated the meal planning has become. Bray advised it has become much more complicated as she now has to make four menus: one for grades K-5, one for grades K-8 for Limestone, one for grades 9-12 and one for grades 6-8, plus the breakfast menus. Before she only had to write two menus. McElwain commented that Bray now has to plan the menus and include foods that the students have never been exposed to before, adding that even he hasn’t heard of some of the foods on the new menu.
Board Member Michelle Albert asked if the change also increased Bray’s budget. Bray responded that it costs roughly anywhere from .18 cents to .25 cents more a meal and that it’s hard to see a lot of it go into the trash with the government only providing .06 cents more.
Bray reported that her intern Bell has been attending nutrition classes and that Bray herself has been visiting with kindergarten classes to speak about nutrition. She has also been visiting the lunchrooms to encourage the students to try the new foods, but she said that especially the high school students have been complaining about the smaller portion sizes.
Albert asked if a salad bar could be offered. Bray responded that it still has to meet requirements and the students still have to have on their tray a half a cup of fruit or vegetable in order for it to be a meal, which wasn’t necessary previously. They only had to have three items on their tray before. Now they can’t have just three items and one of the items they do have has to be half a cup of fruit or vegetable. In addition, they can no longer use iceberg lettuce; it must be a dark green, leafy lettuce.
Bray also advised that they could no longer make peanut butter squares or birthday cake for dessert. Those options will be replaced with pudding or gelatin.
Bell is working on a survey comparing lunches brought from home as compared to school lunch. The survey is not complete yet, but she has noticed the major difference with the home meals is a lack of vegetables and dairy because most students are bringing a fruit drink instead of milk.
Another factor that makes the menu difficult, according to Bray, is that kindergarten level is the first grade the school begins to feed the students, and a lot of them are already trained at home to eat things like chicken nuggets instead of fruit and vegetables. Albert commented that she could imagine how hard it must be to get kids to eat the items on the list because a lot of the items she wouldn’t even eat.
SAT scores for Caribou and Limestone down slightly
Caribou High School Principal Mark Jones gave his report on Caribou High School’s 2011-12 SAT scores for the testing that was administered in May of 2012. He advised that CHS usually comes in right at or above average state scores. He reported that the latest SAT scores were close to state average, but they did not see their usual gradual increase in scores and that some scores did retreat a little bit.
Jones explained that the school chose not to determine what impacted the scores this year, but instead would like to focus on what needs to be done at the school to keep the scores up.
Admitting the high school teachers were confused by the retreat in scores this year, Jones advised that educators anxiously await the scores each year in anticipation of their usual growth. Based on classroom observation and other assessment tools, the teaching staff expected this year’s class to be on par or better than previous classes. Jones reported that department meetings were held to examine relative data and determine strategies to improve the scores.
One of the strategies is to make the kids more familiar with the SAT test style without teaching the actual test to them. Another point that will be addressed is an inspection of the areas where the students did not do well. Jones said he felt there might be changes in the curriculum that may have impacted the score. They will then conduct a review of the curriculum and work on items that need improvement. Jones advised that basically the teachers want to look under every rock to figure out what happened and he is confident this is simply a “one year blip,” at this point.
According to Jones, there has also been a change in the science curriculum where students are exposed to all aspects of science in the first two years of high school to ensure that they have experience with everything before the testing. Currently the majority of students do not have chemistry exposure prior to taking the test.
Jones pointed out that while the test scores are important and are used as a common yardstick with which to measure high school, that it’s important to keep in mind they are not the only measure. He advised CHS students have done well in almost every assessment put in front of them and they still get great feedback regarding how the students will do in secondary education after leaving high school.
“As we plan for the future,” he said, “we need to keep several things in mind. This was one test on one day that could have been impacted by any number of factors.”
The principal reiterated that the school intends to stay with its best practices to ensure scores continue to improve in the next years and that he has every confidence this year’s results were just a one-year anomaly.
Albert commented that she appreciated how proactive the teachers at CHS are being in taking a hard look at the data and trying to figure out what happened to decrease the scores from last year.
Jones said there were a few moments of shock, but then the teachers wanted to get down to it and figure out what they as teachers could have done to impact the scores.
Board Member Lynn McNeal asked if any comparison was done with similar test results for other schools and if there was notice of any trends. Jones replied he’s hesitant to look for any trends. He said they want to serve every student the best they can and, at this point, the school is simply focusing within.
Limestone Community School Principal Susan White followed Jones to summarize the results from her school’s SAT testing as well. The results were similar to Caribou High School and the approach White outlined to take in an attempt to improve the scores was basically the same as Jones. She explained that the school intends to focus on what areas need improvement and will provide more one-on-one attention. They will also put extra effort into making sure the students are aware of the resources available to them, including utilizing the staff.
Albert asked White if she felt that inadequate textbooks might be part of the problem with the scores. White countered that she doesn’t believe they have a problem with textbooks, and Jones agreed that a lot of work and research goes into making sure that the textbooks are up-to-date. White did add that she believes that if anything is lacking with the textbooks, it may be that the some of the students do not have the skill to absorb the information and know-how to work their way through a textbook. That is an area that may need to be focused on as well.
Albert then asked if the students are ever advised of the importance of the SAT testing. She wondered if some students take tests as seriously as they should because they don’t realize the impact their test scores may have on their academic future.
White agreed that self-motivation is one of the factors that could contribute to the scores.
Policies reviewed for second reading
The RSU 39 board reviewed policies that have been changed recently and put before the board for examination. The policies will undergo a second reading before approval.
The first policy, Use of Physical Restraint and Seclusion, concerns children who become excessively disruptive and may have, in the past, needed physical restraint to calm down. The new policy does not allow for a teacher or administrator to physically restrain the child, but calls for them to remove all other children from the classroom and work with the troubled child verbally. The policy requires specialized training on seclusion, time lines and reporting to parents,
Albert motioned for a second reading of the policy. Board Member Scott Willey seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
The second policy for review was the Public’s Right to Know/Freedom of Access policy. The focus of this policy is the requirement that if someone asks for correspondence in an email, the email must be sent. It also requires appointment of a public access officer to receive training and act as a resource for the district. A state officer will also be appointed by the governor and act as a resource for the entire state.
McNeal asked if there was a way for the information to be given in an unalterable format such as a CD or thumb drive. McElwain responded that he believed the information had to be provided in its original format.
McNeal motioned for a second reading of the policy. Albert seconded and it was unanimously approved.
McElwain then asked for a motion to have the superintendent and assistant superintendent of the district appointed as the public access officers. Willey motioned the approval, Albert seconded the motion, and it was unanimously approved.
The third policy they reviewed was Staff Participation in Political Activities, which is timely, given that it’s a presidential election year. The policy would prohibit educators from engaging in political conversations with students or imposing their political views upon the youths while on school grounds.
Willey questioned the last statement of the policy that prohibited political conversation outside of class. The question produced no real answer. Albert motioned to table the policy. Willey seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously to table the policy.
RSU 39 Staffing Changes
Superintendent McElwain announced the following staff changes.
Resignations:
•Jill Leavitt as an ed tech at the Caribou Learning Center
•Kim Barnes from Student Organization at Caribou Middle School
•Stuart Holland as Custodian/Bus Driver for Limestone Community School
Transfers:
•David Stewart from custodian, Teague Park School, to custodian, Caribou High School
New Hires:
•John Kiehn, ed tech, Limestone Community School
•Charles Lyons, custodian/bus driver, Caribou Learning Center
•Kirk Cote, custodian/bus driver, Teague Park School
•Alana Margeson, civil rights team adviser
New hires for the after-school program:
•Rachel Bourgeois, teacher, Teague Park School
•Melinda Clark, ed tech, Teague Park School
•Donna Holmes, teacher, Caribou Middle School
•Nicole Spencer, ed tech, Caribou Middle School
•Cheryl Deschaine, teacher, Limestone Community School
•John Kiehn, ed tech, Limestone Community School
Administrative Updates
Hilltop Elementary School Principal Jane McCall reported the school was off to a good start and that the students were going to see a puppet show the morning of Sept. 21 at CPAC. She also reported that Hilltop’s annual hoedown will be held at the school on Oct. 4.
Steve Austin, principal of Teague Park School, reported that upon interviewing the school’s staff, he noted that the morale was a little low, so he organized a golf outing with a barbecue for the teachers and their families afterward. Austin reported that orientation went well. He instituted a daily morning ritual of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Leland Caron, Caribou Middle School principal, reported that his school is also off to a good start and that the school looks great. Their open house went well and had a large attendance. He noted that his staff has reviewed things and decided it would be a good idea to bring back orientation for the sixth graders to help them get used to a new building and moving from class to class. Caron reported that cross-country has had three meets. The girls have finished first twice and second once; boys have finished second and third. He also reported that the boys and girls soccer teams are both playing well and he’s heard they are the strongest teams they’ve had in a while.
Miscellaneous Topics
After routine approval of minutes from the last school board meeting, the floor was turned over to public comments. Rebecca Harper, the Limestone Community School senior class vice president, took the floor in order to ask the board to approve the senior class having senior privileges.
Harper contended that her class is very outgoing with many students having part-time jobs or are enrolled in college courses. Privileges the seniors asked for included permission to drive off campus during the high school lunch period, to transport other seniors with parental permission, and to leave period five a few minutes early or to have the opportunity to be in front of the lunch line. Harper assured the board the class of 2013 would not abuse any of their senior privileges if approved.
Albert asked Harper how many students there were in the senior class. Harper advised that there are currently 15 students with four others expected to be coming in.
White confirmed that she supported the class and their desire for senior privileges. McElwain also showed his support, advising these were the same privileges that were granted to last year’s Limestone senior class.
Albert motioned to approve the privileges, which was seconded by Willey and approved unanimously by the board.
The next item on the agenda was a review of the district’s financial report for 2011-12 presented by Karen Nadeau, the district’s business manager. Nadeau reviewed all of the financial items and discussed the fact that RSU 39 is one of 14 districts that received more MaineCare funds than they should have. McElwain advised he was aware of the issue and how that is going to be resolved is still being discussed. Nadeau advised that the money will carry over into the next school year and they will hold off on spending those funds.
McElwain reviewed the floor plan for the Tech Center’s new Culinary Arts program. The board agreed that it looked great and is excited to see construction begin.
A copy of recent changes to Maine’s Expulsion Statute was given to the board by McElwain for review of the changes
The board was also presented with the option of changing an ed tech position in the alternative ed program from an Ed Tech III position to a teaching position. The person who holds this job currently has been there for several years and has extensive experience. Willey motioned to accept the position transfer, Albert seconded it and it was approved unanimously.
The next school board meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
