February 13, 2007

HELP GUIDE THE ADAMS SCHOOL FUTURE
AN INVITATION TO PROACTIVE PLANNING FROM THE CASTINE SCHOOL BOARD

    Governor Baldacci’s recent plan to reorganize our state’s school system has received a tremendous amount of discussion in the media and among citizens throughout Maine.  Such a broad response seems fitting to a proposal that suggests drastically changing the way in which we fulfill one of the most important public responsibilities: educating our children.  
    Here in Castine, led by the Comprehensive Planning Committee, we are envisioning our town’s future with the goal of proactively shaping what lies ahead.  The participation has been outstanding.  
    In this atmosphere of forward thinking and potential change, the members of the Castine School Board have been addressing one of the primary concerns of the whole community as expressed at the “visioning meeting” at Emerson Hall on February 4th: the future of our small school.  With declining populations and, though controlled, continuously increasing expenses, we are concerned about our high per pupil cost.
    During our last meeting on February 7th, we discussed this issue at great length concluding that we need to address it aggressively to make certain the school is being operated as efficiently as possible while maintaining the high level of quality that we know currently exists for our children.  To facilitate further discussion, we have scheduled a public work session to be held at The Adams School on Wednesday February 21st at 12:00 noon.  Additionally, I met with the faculty this past Monday afternoon to receive input from them and invite them to attend the work session.  We (the school board, the principal, and the superintendent) have chosen three areas on which to focus the beginning of our discussions: 1.) Staffing and class sizes, 2.) Potential transportation savings, and 3.) Potential savings to be gained from an exclusive contract with a single public high school.
    I invite as many of you as are available and interested to attend the work session next Wednesday February 21st.  This is an important opportunity for us as a board to hear from the members of the community, and it is the time and place to express your hopes and concerns relative to our little school and the future of our town’s children. Even if you do not have children attending the Adams School, your participation and input are vital to the school’s future success.  Without the support of the entire town, there would be no school; and , as has been suggested at the Comprehensive Planning Committee’s meetings, without our little school, our town would be very different.  We as a board are taking these steps because we feel they are necessary for the long-term health of our school and community.  So, please come and join us in “charting our course together”.
I thank you for your time and attention. I hope to see many of you at our meeting on Wednesday, February 21st.  If you are unable to attend, please feel free to contact me with any concerns or comments at 326.8062 or relax@castineinn.com

Tom Gutow
Chair, Castine School Board