SAD 70 names AOS board members

By Sarah Berthiaume
Special to the Pioneer Times
    HODGDON – Two SAD 70 board members will lead the newly formed Alternative Organization Structure (AOS) 48.
    AOS 48, approved by voters in February, includes the Hodgdon school district and SAD 14. Under the structure, the two districts will maintain their own school boards, but combine central offices and form a separate AOS 48 board to govern the new structure.
    Joel Oliver will chair the AOS  48 board and Estela Lane will serve as vice chair.
    During Monday night’s school board meeting in Hodgdon, Oliver said the AOS 48 Board was scheduled to meet again Tuesday night to look at each district’s central office and consider how its employees should be organized. He added that SAD 70 Superintendent Bob McDaniel will serve as interim superintendent for AOS 48.
    Also at the Monday meeting, a trio of Hodgdon High School students pitched their plan to construct a climbing wall at the school. Courtney Jurson, Sydney Bradshaw and Emily Transue presented research on the project and illustrated the benefits for SAD 70’s student body.
    They reported that of 152 high school students surveyed, 93 expressed an interest in having a climbing wall; they expected the interest to grow if the project was completed. The students also went to present other research they’d gathered for the project, including a study on its safety.
     “It’s a lot safer than you might think,” said Bradshaw, citing a study that showed climbing wall injuries were typically less than some other sports.
    “It does require some teamwork,” added Transue. “But it’s a good option for students who may not be interested in team sports.”
    Cost for a climbing wall is projected to be around $5,500. Plans are to leverage grant monies, fundraisers and volunteer manpower to get it off the ground.
    “They’ve put a lot of work and effort into this already,” said Oliver. “I think we owe them the chance to move forward with it.”
    Other board members agreed, giving the project unanimous approval.
    Also at Monday’s meeting:
    • A one-time change in guidelines for retiring teachers was OK’d.
    Proposed legislation could impact pensions and insurance costs for retirees. Feeling the proposal could influence some teachers who are considering retirement, Superintendent McDaniel asked the board to extend its own retirement deadlines. Normally, teachers must notify the district by January if they are considering retirement for the coming school year. The board agreed to give teachers until April 30, 2011 to submit non-binding letters of intent and until May 31, 2011 to submit their retirement.
    • The board also heard a technology committee update, including information on the district’s use of electronic readers. Students and faculty are testing out at least three different kinds of readers, including the Amazon Kindle.
    According to board member and technology committee member Tracy Rockwell, the test drive is going well. If feedback on the small, hand-held devices continues to be positive, the district may consider replacing some of their textbook with electronic books in the coming years, a move that is expected to cut costs.
    • Retirements and resignations were accepted from the following: Reggie Corey, high school math teacher; John Bates, night custodian supervisor; English teacher Sue Bushey and Karen Rochford, social studies teacher at Mill Pond School.