Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Beginning Aug. 1, SAD 42’s bus fleet will be serviced and maintained by SAD 1.
At the May 14 SAD 1 meeting, directors unanimously agreed to enter into a service agreement with the Mars Hill school system. “This is strictly for repair work,” said Charles Anderson, business manager for SAD 1. “Since there’s no way of knowing when a bus will break down, the work will be on a come and go basis. However, we’re estimating – combined with SAD 45 (Washburn, Wade and Perham) and other similar repair work – the non-instructional service fees to be about $25,000 a year.”
SAD 1 presently has service agreements with SAD 32 (Ashland), Limestone, Bridgewater, SAD 45 and the Maine School of Science and Mathematics.
In a letter to SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson, Roger Shaw, SAD 42 superintendent said he was making the request since his bus maintenance supervisor would soon be retiring.
“It would seem prudent to consider the option of regional service utilizing your staff and fine facilities,” wrote Shaw. “Our bus fleet consists of 10 buses, eight of which we use on a regular basis. We have maintained the bus fleet, which is in excellent condition, and have replaced buses yearly as the state Department of Education has allowed.”
Johnson told SAD 1 directors that the district’s bus garage “is well equipped to handle this additional work.”
“We are servicing in excess of 70 buses,” said Johnson. “Our bus garage and employees are more than capable of taking on SAD 42.”
Anderson agreed.
“We think this is a good arrangement,” he said. “There are no costs attached to the service provider fees, and it saves all of these school districts money. They’re getting services they otherwise wouldn’t be able to provide on their own. It’s a win-win situation. We’re confident we can do this with our five existing mechanics at the bus garage.”
Also at the meeting, Johnson shared some “good news” regarding the ongoing school consolidation issue.
According to legislation, if school districts attempt to pair up but the idea is rejected by local voters, the district will be entitled to retain its name.
“If SAD 1 doesn’t end up joining SAD 32, for example,” said Johnson, “we’d stay SAD 1. It allows the system to retain its name, which is done to avoid any costs associated with changing the name.”
Johnson said a Reorganization Planning Committee meeting with SAD 32 was scheduled for May 20 at Mapleton Elementary School.
“We will begin talks with SAD 32,” said Johnson, who also serves as the superintendent of SAD 32. “We’ll start to put a plan in place, which should be ready to go to the voters of all communities in both districts in November.”
During the May 14 meeting, directors:
• Were notified that Kevin Malenfant, fifth-grade teacher at Zippel Elementary School, will take over for Dan Madore, retiring sixth-grade math teacher at Presque Isle Middle School. Casey Johnson, a seventh-grade special education teacher at PIMS, has accepted the fifth-grade post being vacated by Malenfant.
• Accepted the resignation of Jasmine Miller, first-grade teacher at Mapleton Elementary School, who will be retiring in June.
There are several teaching positions presently available for the 2008-09 school year including a science and French teacher at Presque Isle High School, a vocal music teacher for pre-kindergarten through grade five, a farm mechanics teacher at the Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center, special education teachers at both the middle and high schools, and a first-grade teacher at Mapleton.
The SAD 1 budget meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 4 in the PIHS auditorium, while the regular school board meeting will follow in the board conference room at PIHS.
