SAD 29 begins counselor search

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON —SAD 29 is seeking applicants for two new positions — an alternative education coordinator and elementary guidance counselor — despite the fact that the school board has yet to officially approve either position.
    The school board gave its permission to new superintendent Mike Hammer, in his first official meeting as superintendent for the district, to seek applicants for the two positions during Monday night’s board meeting. Funding for both positions was already included in the 2011-12 budget.
    In May, the board heard a presentation on the alternative education concept for junior high school students, but no action was taken at that time. During that presentation, Dawn Dougan, who was the curriculum coordinator at that time, and Marion Gartley, the district’s special education coordinator, gave an overview of how the program would benefit the school.
    A total of 23 students were targeted as potential candidates for the program at that time.
    “We need to try to move forward on this one way or the other,” Hammer said. “We need to know if we should put energy into this concept or not.”
    Hammer added while the idea was fairly new to him, he could see the benefits for the student population.
    “This would be a program to try to get individualized instruction with one core teacher,” he said. “It’s for students who don’t really fall under special education, but there could be some crossover. These are students that are targeted at seventh and eighth grade and the program is designed for flexibility. It’s about trying to catch those students who could possibly drop out.”
    During Monday night’s meeting, Gartley spoke of the benefits of an alternative education program for the junior high. She said the goal of the program was to identify and meet the needs of junior high students.
    “We feel there are kids who need more than can be provided in a regular classroom,” she said. “The key to the program is getting a person to take charge of these kids and who will provide a positive environment. They would be responsible for the behavioral and social skills component. A lot of these kids, academically, are very capable of being in a regular classroom. I know if we can catch them in junior high we will save a large percentage of them from dropping out in high school.”
    Originally, the program was targeting students in sixth to eighth grade. The focus was changed to just seventh and eighth grade students since that group is located in one building.
    “We talked about the sixth grade, but those kids are at Southside,” Gartley said. “It [including the sixth grade] didn’t seem to be a great idea to start with. Instead we would like to concentrate on our seventh and eighth-graders.”
    A special room would be created at Houlton High School for the program.
    Board member Paul Cleary expressed concerns over advertising for positions that have not yet been officially acted upon by the school board.
    “The only thing we’ve done was have a presentation,” Cleary said. “Then the position was put into the budget. It’s never been voted on by this board whether we want it or don’t want it. Now, you’re looking for our approval. It would be nice if we had the paperwork in front of us so we could ask questions. You are asking us to make a decision and we’re unprepared.”
    The 2011-12 budget included up to $89,000 for this position, but administrators felt that figure was on the high side. Instead, administrators felt the position could be funded for $60,000 or less. The number of students who would be included in the program was about 12 or 13, according to Gartley.
    Board members agreed, by a vote of 10-1 (with Cleary opposed), to advertise for the junior high alternative education program.
    Houlton Elementary Principal Candace Crane next gave a brief presentation on the proposed elementary guidance position for HES, with an estimated salary of $60,000-$70,000. According to Crane, the goal of the program is to increase student achievement by employing an elementary guidance counselor to collaborate with staff in meeting the social and emotional needs of students at HES, Wellington and Houlton Southside schools.
    “Ever since I have been here, this district has endorsed anti-bullying protocol,” Crane said. “That is all well and good, but it’s reactive instead of proactive. It’s very important, especially at the younger age, to teach students conflict resolution. Kids come to school without social skills, which can cause a lot of conflict. They don’t know how to problem solve.”
    Crane added that teachers attempt to correct these issues when they see them happen in the classroom, but that often is not enough to solve the issues.
    “The research shows if you have explicit instructions on these skills, then students learn them,” she said.
    Crane added much of the guidance program would be determined by the person the district hires, but would involve a person going into classrooms to provide preventative measures and skills-oriented lessons. Small group counseling would also be included.
    Board chairman Liz Anderson asked why these types of activities were not already ongoing in the schools, since they previously employed a licensed social worker in the district. That position was cut during budget discussions.
    “By law, the licensed social worker could not do classroom-based programs,” Crane said.
    Home visits were also discussed, with Crane saying she does six or seven a year. Teachers are also able to do home visits with their students. The total elementary student population is 746 students.
Varsity boys basketball coach named
    The school board also unanimously named Rob Moran as the new varsity boys basketball coach at Houlton High School. The move came after a lengthy executive session. Mike Fogarty, who had served as the boys coach for the past five seasons, was also seeking the position and was the recommended nominee of a search committee comprised of Bruce Nason, athletic director; Dawn Matthews, assistant principal at HHS; Todd Willard, a teacher at the high school; and school board member Crystal Hagerman.
    Fogarty was listed on the agenda as the recommendation for the position. Following the hour-long executive session, the board unanimously named Moran as its coach with no public discussion.
    In other agenda items, the board:
    • Approved the elimination of the district’s attendance policy for high school and junior high, at the request of Matthews. Houlton Junior and Senior High School will now follow the state law for truancy. The former policy penalized students a full credit course after 10 absences — excused or unexcused — during the school year. Matthews said by switching to the Maine Truancy law, the district would be able to do more interventions, getting students the assistance they need, rather than simply penalizing for absences.
    • Learned a portion of the road leading to the Bird Farm was going to be rebuilt, at no cost to the district, thanks to efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers. Gravel for the project is being donated by the Houlton Golf Course.
    • Approved a district STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Fair policy. The fair expands the focus of the district’s Science fair to include more
    • Learned the district was approved for the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program grant for Houlton Elementary and Wellington Elementary schools. Each school will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $75 per student for money it spends providing fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks outside of their regular school meal program. HES stands to receive $19,094 from Oct. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, while Wellington could get as much as $2,432 for the same time period.
    • Accepted the resignation of Katalin Grooms from her position as a high school math and science teacher.
    The next regular meeting of the SAD 29 board will be Monday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. in the superintendent’s office.