KidsRSU

“I have seen a marked difference in the teaching environment and the learning achieved by our high school students.  There’s no question that computers in a 1:1 environment for high school students makes sense, especially after enjoying that privilege in the 7th and 8th grades.  It’s also clear that there’s a tremendous amount of learning and achievement that goes on outside the classroom that may or may not be related to the current lesson, yet is valuable none-the-less.

The reality is that we must start to demand more from our students. But limited classroom instructional time and the differences in student learning styles make the traditional teaching model obsolete.  With these computers, educators are able to break out of the traditional mold of the typical classroom of the 1960s into one of both synchronous and asynchronous instruction.
Richard Florida (author of The Rise of the Creative Class) suggests that technology alone in this creative age is not going to make the US economy safe. We need to bring in the kind of creative entrepreneurs who can make great ideas into sustainable business models. Only then, Florida writes, will we get real economic growth.
He warns us however that unless we are willing to harness the creativity of people, we’re going to lose the edge, (have we already?).  As our generation has grown up knowing how to use a telephone, our children must grow up knowing how to collaborate and create using computing devices.

Some say these laptops are just the new pen or pencil.  But they are so much more.
These computers provide an opportunity for independent exploration, imagination and problem solving regardless of family economic resources.  They are a critical component to learning and create the best opportunity for our students to compete in this 21st century.

“We’re in the midst of a fundamental economic revolution, bigger than the change from an agricultural to an industrial society. It’s based on creativity including technological, economic and aesthetic creativity.” Florida writes.  For these reasons we support the 1:1 high school laptop initiative to provide this resource to all Maine high school students to help them be competitive in the 21st century global economy.”
- John Armentrout Director of Communications and Information Technology

Director LaPlante outlined the regional goals for improved student achievement, communication and organizational efficiencies while Superintendent Siviski shared his perspective of our focus on Teaching and Learning. He encouraged all staff to be that favorite teacher/staff member they cherished when they were students.

District directors were introduced and each briefly explained what his/her department had accomplished over the summer. Director of Building and Grounds Gordon Murray showed pictures of carpets and asbestos tiles in Monmouth that had been removed and replaced with tile. Richmond Middle School and High School also received upgrades from carpeting to tile both in hallways and classrooms. 

Food Service Director Betty Stevenson reviewed the equipment upgrades in the kitchens in Monmouth and Richmond and the planned introduction of “point of service” purchasing for Dresden. Menus will be planned according to state and federal guidelines at all schools in new regional unit. This should result in further efficiencies as well as ensuring nutritious meals for all students.

Transportation Director Katie Spear described the new maintenance plan for the busses in Monmouth and Richmond. Spear also plans to develop a safety program for all the schools including a visit from “Buster”, an automated child-size bus.

Curriculum Coordinator Christine Chamberlain reviewed the agenda for the meeting of curriculum teams that were scheduled to occur the following day. Teams in the areas of reading/writing, math, social studies, science, health and physical education, and visual and performing arts will meet throughout the year to develop sequential curriculum in each content area for grades kindergarten through grade12.

Director of Alternative Education Rick Cote shared the plans for a new alternative education program that will open on September 2. This program will be located at the Central Office and will address the needs of students in danger of ‘dropping out’ of school.

Staff members were then divided into groups related to their duties within the RSU. Deb Soule, Marcia Buker School Principal conducted this activity. Groups comprised of secretaries, guidance counselors, art teachers, administrators, grade one teachers, etc, met to complete an assignment with much laughter and collegiality.

After the meeting several staff members commented on the welcomed opportunity to meet with others who have the same responsibilities as them but at different buildings. One staff member stated that being the only person who does what she does at her building she sees a great opportunity to talk to someone else with these same responsibilities. Being able to share and meet was certainly a highlight of the workshop.

Mrs. Stevenson has taken advantage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) using this federal money to purchase new equipment for the Monmouth and Richmond schools. Richmond will be adding a sandwich bar to the salad bar that was started last year.  Students will be able to request made-to-order sandwiches in addition to the traditional hot lunch.

In Monmouth, a new dishwasher and steam table have been purchased for the high school.  A sandwich bar will be added to the lunchroom there, as well. These additions may increase the number of students who take advantage of the lunch program.

These types of purchases are now feasible within the new RSU for two reasons. First, there are new federal funds available to make these purchases. Secondly, the full time food service director is working for all four districts when in the past it was not financially possible to hire a full time food service director in each of the smaller districts.

Betty Stevenson has had extensive training and experience with public school food service programs. Prior to the formation of the RSU, only the Hall-Dale school district had a food service program that was self-supporting. The towns of Monmouth, Richmond and Dresden had to budget additional money to supplement their hot lunch programs. It is Mrs. Stevenson’s goal as well as a goal of RSU #2 to have all food service programs in all of the schools self-supporting.

Another advantage to all lunch programs combining under one director is that the RSU #2 lunch program is a larger purchasing group. All of the schools in the RSU now belong to a food cooperative that enables its members to purchase food and paper goods at significant savings. This membership also promotes networking and provides increased opportunities for training for kitchen workers.

While all programs will utilize the same nutrient based menu plans, there is still room for individuality within the schools. As an example, Dresden will still host its Grandparents Day and continue to invite members of the community to join the students for meals for special events. 

The entire district will be celebrating a Harvest Lunch Week in September. During this week, at least one item each day on the school menu will come from local farms i.e. apples from local orchards, corn on the cob from local farm stands with students assisting in husking corn. 

Food Service Director Stevenson stated, “It is my goal to improve all lunch programs by providing more healthy and nutritious choices for students, enabling them to learn better.  Knowing the problems with childhood obesity in our state, it is important that students learn these choices early.” 

While providing the students of RSU #2 a quality education no matter where they attend school is the primary goal of the RSU, providing nutritious lunch choices is a goal of the Betty Stevenson and the lunch program.

The goal of the retreat was to establish relationships among and between the leaders of the RSU, learn about each other’s leadership style, share goals for the upcoming academic year and develop a mission and vision on which to focus RSU decisions to improve student achievement.

Each administrator shared his/her goals that he/she hoped to accomplish in the 2009-2010 school year. Board members then shared their hopes and concerns regarding the success of the RSU. Facilitator Clockedile then lead the group through an assessment of decision-making and a discussion of what barriers and mistakes must be addressed at the beginning of any new organization.

The group then collaborated and articulated a draft set of goals to guide the efforts and energies of the RSU for the next school year. The results of the retreat were presented and approved at the August 12, 2009 Board of Directors meeting.

The goals of RSU #2 for the 2009-2010 school year are as follows:
1. To improve student achievement the RSU will…
a. Develop a standards based curriculum and culture of achievement within our learning communities
b. Establish a consistent expectation of student achievement
c. Define and align curriculum with Maine’s Learning Results
d. Develop collaborative PK-12 curriculum teams
e. Utilize technology in the teaching and learning process
f. Use assessment data to inform instruction and professional development
g. Institute/refine student intervention practices to ensure immediate remediation/assistance

2. To improve knowledge of and advocacy for high quality 21st century public education with our stakeholders the RSU will…
a. Develop a trusting relationship
b. Share fiscal and educational attributes of regionalization
c. Communicate data, goals and accomplishments
3. To improve our collaboration, services and decision making throughout the district within the organizational structure of the RSU

a. Board - committees discussion, research and recommendation to the Board
b. Food Services - nutrition, sanitation, safety and enterprise
c. Buildings - safety, security and efficiency and effectiveness
d. Staff - Teaching and Learning

These goals will now be used by building administrators in collaboration with staff to set goals for each school or department as well as personal professional goals.

As the school year progresses, individuals will review progress toward achievement of their individual goals, school goals and district goals. By working as a team within the RSU, achievement of these goals will provide a quality education in a safe and healthy environment no matter where they attend school in the RSU.

Directors Marshall and Hunt have observed the advantage of opportunities for staff members to serve as a resource to other staff members.  Sue Hunt commented, “When the Dresden School enrolled a child with autism, they met with members of the Richmond staff who had already developed an autism program at the Marcia Buker School. By working together, teachers from both schools developed an appropriate program that met the needs of the Dresden student.”
   
There is also the advantage of sharing specialized resources, thus eliminating the need for duplication. Reading programs and computer technology were shared throughout the school district.  While cost savings were realized for the 2008-09 school year, the Co-directors believe that there will be additional savings as other opportunities are identified.
   
Cost savings are planned by hiring specialized services rather than contracting for these services. Deb Marshall gave this example. “Rather than contracting for the services of a school psychological examiner and an occupational therapist for four different schools, one person was hired for each of these positions. This saves money and gives the district more flexibility in scheduling these services”.

Another benefit to consolidating Special Education departments and services across the RSU will be evidenced in the sharing of professional development opportunities.  Programs and presenters that would not be affordable to a single district can be brought to the staff throughout the RSU. An example of this is bringing in a behavior specialist to work with all staff to help identified students within the classroom setting. 

Courses in Special Education can be offered to regular classroom teachers and special education staff within the district saving time and travel for teachers and staff wishing to attend courses.
     
Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Marshall agree that having the opportunity to work as Co-directors has been beneficial. During the 2008-09 school year, each Co-director attended over 500 IEP meetings in order to make sure that appropriate and equitable services were available for all students identified. 
   

RSU #2’s Special Education department is also planning to post a monthly newsletter for parents to the district website http://www.kidsrsu.org. This newsletter will include educational opportunities available for parents as well as pertinent workshops available in each community. This newsletter can also be emailed to any parents who make this request.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has designated funds to be set aside for Special Education. RSU #2 will be using some of the designated funds to establish a pre-kindergarten program at the Dresden Elementary School and to establish a dropout prevention program for students throughout the RSU.  The Special Education department of the RSU is hopeful that these programs will contribute to the educational success students.

When asked what she thought most contributed to the success of this past year working as one department across four school districts, Deb Marshall replied “The dedicated staff in all the schools who are working to serve the students in the local schools and ensuring that their students participate in their local school community are what make this work.”  Both Deb Marshall and Sue Hunt are dedicated to making sure that all kids’ needs are met no matter where they attend school in RSU #2. 

The development of a budget for custodial and maintenance projects was a challenge in this first year of the RSU. In subsequent years, consolidation of services and contractors will benefit the RSU with savings in the areas such as HVAC maintenance and Fire Alarm monitoring and services. When combining from four school districts into one, a challenge is how to prioritize the projects for each school.  When asked how this is decided, Gordon Murray explained that safety liability issues, compliance with existing codes and laws and preventive maintenance are the priorities regardless of where these needs exist.

The sharing of equipment across the RSU will also save the district money and allow for more of these projects to take place. Murray stated, “There are definite savings in the sharing of equipment that is used infrequently.  One example of this is that we have one aerator that will be shared among the towns. This is a savings on equipment purchases as well as contracted services that is currently being expended in some towns for this purpose.”

Projects addressing safety issues include carpet replacement and asbestos tile removal at the Cottrell School in Monmouth, to be replaced with vinyl tiles. Patio doors at the Richmond Middle and High School will be replaced with fire doors.  The deteriorating concrete at the entrance to the theater in Hall-Dale be will removed and paved. 

Security projects include the expansion of security cameras at Hall-Dale. Exterior security lighting will be installed at the Richmond and Monmouth Schools. Access controls to the buildings in Richmond, Monmouth and Dresden are scheduled to take place as well. The safety and security at the RSU 2 schools is the priority.

As the Director of Buildings and Grounds, Gordon Murray can provide a level of expertise to all RSU schools that prior to the formation of the RSU, small, individual towns could not afford to have. This position allows the RSU to develop coordinated compliance plans, such as a Risk Management Plan, Asbestos Plans and Integrated Pest Management Plans. These plans will decrease the liability across the RSU.  Murray explained, “The consolidation will assist towns that have struggled or neglected compliance issues as there would be one point person for the many areas that require licensing, inspections and documentation.” 

New equipment upgrades and the use of green cleaning chemicals and processes in all RSU #2 buildings will occur before students return in the fall. Safety, security and well maintained buildings are a more obtainable goal when resources are combined. All students in all the towns of RSU #2 deserve a safe and healthy learning environment and that is the goal for all the facilities within the RSU.

RSU #2 will be in its first year of operation in 2009-2010. By combining the four smaller districts into one district of approximately 2300 students the new district is able to expand the responsibilities of the current positions of the Directors of Maintenance, Transportation, Technology and Food Service as well as add a Curriculum Coordinator. Since these positions are district-wide, the financial resources to fund them is distributed across the five towns within the RSU #2. Consistent with the goal of achieving long term cost savings from school district reorganization, the Regionalization Plan recommends “That the KIDS (RSU #2) Board consider implementing educational program enhancement measures that can be achieved from the District’s greater collective resources, economies of scale and larger student body.”

The Regionalization Plan addresses how the new district will improve the quality of the facilities by hiring a Director of Maintenance with head custodians at each site. Building codes will be updated, regulations documented, maintenance schedules developed and followed. The director will secure and retain trades expertise: electricians, plumbers, boiler specialist, roof services, paving and sports field vendors. The Maintenance Director will develop and submit applications for renovations and new construction projects, processed with engineering studies to support positions and requests. Safe and secure and healthy buildings will be available to all students and staff. Efficient use and management of energy with modern technology and equipment integrated to a central site for remote management is a goal as well. Increased purchasing power, central warehousing and contracted services will contribute to cost savings for the new district.
A Director of Technology with head Technicians at each site will be able to immediately respond to staff and student needs. A uniform student information system is in the process of being deployed in each school. This system tracks and transfers files electronically and tracks K-12 student history with student and parent portals. Telephone efficiency over VoIP between schools at no charge is another cost savings measure planned for implementation. Schools will share instructional integration of technology for lessons and simulations, and benefit from district subscriptions to interactive sites for improved teaching and learning. A single computer repair center with a student operated repair site will be available for all schools to access. Teacher collaboration through centrally managed iChat accounts will promote collaboration among the staff as well as video conferencing between teachers, schools and curriculum teams. This is a position that only larger school systems have been able to fund in the past.

A Director of Food Services and head cooks or site based managers will further help the district contain costs by developing a uniform bulk purchasing system and participation in a regional coop. Improved nutritional offerings/options can be available for all schools, with more offerings of whole wheat, fruits etc. All schools will offer a student accounts system managed with software programs and bar code/passwords. District menu planning will also assist in saving money, working toward a self sufficient food service program.
The Director of Transportation for the schools without contracted transportation services (Richmond and Monmouth) will benefit from shared services and resources during break-downs or wait-time for repairs. The use of routing software for routes will contribute to the efficiency of the transportation program as will the potential to share fuel depots throughout the district, share drivers and bulk purchase consumables such as fuel and tires. Shared vocational transportation and special education transportation to out-of-district placements will save time and money. The coordination of sports, club transportation and field trips will be more efficient and economical.

The position of Curriculum Coordinator will benefit students and staff in RSU #2. Professional development opportunities will be offered on a district wide basis. With a larger staff, it becomes possible to offer college classes on-site, reducing travel time for staff. Under the guidance of the Curriculum Coordinator, curriculum and data comparisons will allow staff to improve the learning opportunities for their students. Content area teams can be developed that will examine curriculum, instruction and assessment both within grades as well as longitudinally across grades. Teachers of specialized courses such as art, music, physical education and AP courses will have job-like peers to collaborate with. Best practices within each building can be identified and expanded to other schools within the district.

It takes an organization of a critical mass to be able to justify and fund these positions. By serving a district of over 2000 students, these services are not only necessary but will realize cost savings for the Regional School Unit as well.