Work on the 2015-16 budget will commence in the new year

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Soon after the calendar changes to 2015, the development of the RSU 68 school budget for the 2016 fiscal year will begin. During a school board meeting on Dec. 16 Superintendent Robert Lucy gave the directors copies of a budget preparation calendar.

    “Our process in early January is to get the requisition forms in the superintendent’s office from the administrators,” Lucy said. He said soon after meetings with the administrators will take place to determine priorities for the next spending plan.
    The next step will be meetings in late January and then February and March for the finance committee to review all of the figures. “Really after that we are looking at drafts and talking about our budget,” Lucy said. He said a draft of the 2015-16 budget could be presented at the April school board meeting with a vote at the May session. If these steps are taken then the district budget meeting could be held in late May with the referendum vote taking place in Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson and Sebec several weeks late in June.
    Lucy provided the school with updates on two projects, the first being an emergency management plan. “Our idea was to get something that is user friendly, a quick reference and something that can be used as a training resource for our staff,” he said.
    “Our end game goal is we would have a binder that would be tabbed,” Lucy said. He mentioned a copy of the plan would be included in a “go bag”, along with a first aid kit and other items, for teachers to have in the event of an emergency.
    “The goal of course is to ensure the well-being and safety of all our school community,” Lucy said, also letting parents and the towns know that there is an updated plan in place for the SeDoMoCha complex. He said a previous plan was comprised of about 120 pages, and with the updated document Lucy was “trying really to streamline it, make it specific to the incident.”
    The school board members were each given a copy of the emergency management plan, and they may vote to approve it at the January meeting.
    The second project Lucy discussed was a universal free breakfast offered to all SeDoMoCha School students. From the start in mid-September through the end of November, “We served 1,401 more breakfasts here,” he said — in contrast to previous years’ early morning meal programs. In October the universal free breakfast saw an increase of just over 600 servings compared to the year before.
    “I think it’s been an excellent response and we would like to continue this for the rest of this year and beyond,” Lucy said., adding that the possibility of a universal lunch has been discussed.
    In other business, the school board heard the principals’ reports. “We had a great number of kids who reached that 95 percent or higher attendance recognition,” Principal Julie Kimball said about a recent assembly honoring students for attendance and/or making the honor roll.
    She joked that the assembly lasted far longer than in previous years with students being recognized for their high rates of attendance. Kimball said a greater number of students got to be honored among their peers, some of whom were pleasantly surprised to learn of their high attendance rates.
    At the assembly 63 percent of the middle-schoolers were recognized for having an attendance rate of at least 95 percent. Twenty nine pupils were honored for attaining high honors and another 143 earned honor roll status.
    Kimball said the kickoff for the fifth annual One Book, One School program will be Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at SeDoMoCha. This year One Book, One School is being expanded to include the middle school. She said the district spelling bee, for grade 5-8 students, will be held on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m.
    Assistant Principal Matthew Lokken presented the board with a handout on computer use infractions. Through Dec. 12 the total number of infractions, such as playing games off-task, accessing without permission and viewing inappropriate content, was 13, down from 27 at the same time in 2013. The total number of students cited was nine, nearly a third of the 25 cited at the same time the year before.
    “I’m particularly impressed too with the lack of issues related to the care of the laptops,” Lucy said.
    The Tri-County Technical Center’s (TCTC) new director Patrick O’Neill presented on this institution, which is located in Dexter and provides programs for students from six different school systems including Foxcroft Academy. “We have a current enrollment of 258 students,” O’Neill said, with these attendees taking part in 10 different program areas.
    “In the past couple of years there has been an increase in interest as well as an increase in enrollment,” he said. O’Neill said these rises have come from the TCTC programming, which can provide students the training to land jobs right after graduating from high school and/or to enter some post-secondary institutions.
    O’Neill said in part in response to the loss of manufacturing jobs across the region and eastern Maine, TCTC has joined with the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Collaborative (PVAEC) “to see what we can do collectively to help people impacted by those layoffs.”
    One such program being offered for students — of varying ages — will enable them to earn a Class B license. “Our goal is to get people reemployed and stay in our area,” O’Neill said.
    TCTC is looking to expand its facilities, located behind Dexter Regional High School. When asked, O’Neill said the additional space may allow for more programs to be offered, such as childcare.
    “We are also looking at a wilderness exploratory program,” he said. This program would help students meet criteria to attain Maine Guide certification, and segues into law enforcement such as helping prepare participants toward careers with the Maine Warden Service.
    “It’s nice to hear about the expansion,” School Board Chair Rick Johnston said, saying TCTC has been a passion for some of the board members. “We are extremely happy with the way things are going.”
    “I’m real excited with the partnership (with the PVAEC),” Lucy said. “I think there’s great potential for people who may be out of work or looking for a new career path.”