By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The first task at hand for returning Eastern Aroostook RSU 39 school board member Kent Forbes, who replaced retired member Scott Willey, was to participate in the annual election of officers and appointment of committee members at the group’s first meeting of the new year held on Jan. 2 at the Superintendent’s Office in Caribou.
The board chair for 2012, Dale Gordon, nominated board member Clifford Rhome as her replacement for 2013. A subsequent board vote unanimously approved Rhome as chair.
Board member Lynn McNeal then nominated fellow member John Sjostedt for the vice chairman position. Again, a unanimous board vote approved Sjostedt as vice chair.
Superintendent Franklin McElwain had also been unanimously approved by the board to maintain his position until June of 2016 in an executive session discussion and then vote held at a prior board meeting on Dec. 19.
Standing committee members were then appointed. The committee members are as follows. Finance Committee: Forbes, Sjostedt and board member Michelle Albair; Negotiations Committee: Rhome, Sjostedt and McNeal; Facilities Committee: Forbes, Albair and Rhome; Curriculum Committee: board member Mary White, Gordon and McNeal; Policy Committee: Sjostedt, White and Rhome; and the Scholarship Committee member is Gordon.
The board then approved previously reviewed policies for concussion management and bullying. A breathalyzer policy, which was requested to be put into place by Caribou High School Principal Mark Jones, was tabled for a second reading until Jones, who could not attend the meeting due to illness, was able to answer questions the board had regarding use of the device.
For the past two years, CHS has had a borrowed Breathalyzer on hand during prom to test students suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. The school has now purchased a device for use at functions in an effort to deter students from alcohol consumption. The pending policy was formulated with input from the Maine School Management Association and has been reviewed by the policy committee.
The meeting concluded with administrative updates from Steve Austin of Caribou’s Teague Park School, Susan White of Limestone Community School, Leland Caron of Caribou Middle School and Jane McCall of Caribou’s Hilltop School. All reported that their students and staff were busy with a variety of special winter projects.
McCall wished to extend a special thank-you to Loring Job Corps for their generous donation of presents purchased for families of children who attend the school and who were in need this past holiday season.
