The superintendent said students “love the salad bar,” pantry, closet and new clubs like volleyball, debate and guitar, and praised the morning support, including a 45-minute REP academic help time. The principal also said students appreciated the mental health resources and college visits in the cafeteria and requested that the high school building “look like the teachers teach.”
The district superintendent said these student observations matched what the administration saw at RSU 40 and that the visit reinforced the board's goal of improving communication between the board and administration. He said enrollment numbers are declining and enrollment will be the first issue in the upcoming budget process.
In terms of facilities, the headteacher described the concentrated work undertaken to renovate the school's roof. He said staff have identified a possible, more cost-effective way to procure roofing materials and are organizing volunteers to carry out some of the work rather than relying solely on bids from contractors. “We're a community in New England. We're going to tear the roof off. We're going to do our best to repair it,” he said, adding that once the roof is removed, there could be other, expensive repairs underneath.
The superintendent described the volunteer work as part of a broader outreach effort related to an expected collaborative initiative on the future of the high school and RSU 40. He said the team aims to have an implementation plan to present to the facilities committee “by the next meeting” and then to the full board that same evening. He also urged early public outreach, noting that local select committees and municipal officials should be informed before any ballot measure.
The superintendent described a separate initiative to create a single, public document listing local food assistance and student assistance programs after friends and co-workers raised concerns about the impact of a federal shutdown on food benefits.
Finally, the superintendent asked the board to resume work on the district reading program and continue discussions on literacy, budgeting and long-term planning for the district.
Next steps identified at the meeting: Staff expect to present a facilities plan to the Facilities Committee within a week of the meeting and then make recommendations to the full board for consideration; A schedule for formal bond questions was not provided in the meeting minutes.