Second session explains more of AOS 43

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    LAGRANGE — In November, AOS 43 officials held a public informational meeting to explain how the Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) between SAD 41 and SAD 31 of the Howland area works. On March 26 a second session took place at the Marion C. Cook School.

    “Our goal tonight is to talk a little bit more about AOS 43 and some of the initiatives we have going on,” said AOS 43 Superintendent Michael Wright, who oversees the school unit as well as both SAD 41 and 31. He said the March 26 evening would look at a review of the AOS, literacy, pre-kindergarten and the budget process.
    “What is AOS 43?,” Wright said. “It is a structure that combines the superintendent, business and central office services of SAD 31 and 41.” He said he, Assistant Superintendent Stacy Shorey, the special education director and transportation director are all AOS employees with many of the costs evenly split between the two school districts.
    “You did not lose local control, you still have your school board members in each district,” he said.
    “We have tried to make the most of it and go even beyond what the plan calls for,” Wright said. He mentioned that now principals’ meetings and professional development meetings are conducted across the entire AOS. Wright estimated the savings for each school district is about $190,000 under AOS 43.
    Both SAD 41 and 31 have pre-K programs in place, with SAD 41’s now in its third year — working with Penquis and Head Start — with students attending the program housed at Milo Elementary. “We really see a big difference,” Brownville Elementary Principal Julie Royal said. She explained pre-K students are ready for kindergarten by knowing the routines for school, having familiarity with the building and recognizing many of the teachers.
    “They have a jump on kindergarten academics,” Enfield Station School Principal Kelley Weiss said, mentioning pre-K students learn about counting, writing, recognizing letters and numbers and have an understanding of books.
    Shorey said each AOS 43 member district has Title I, “a federal grant based on the number of students and the poverty level.” Shorey said in SAD 41 a pair of literacy coaches are currently teaching graduate courses to the their colleagues.
    “It is a great opportunity for us to create a common language of what revolves around reading, writing and phonics,” she said.
    “We also have reading recovery teachers,” Shorey said, with eight first-graders in SAD 41 receiving this one on one teaching.
    Shorey said a literacy plan for AOS 43 involves classroom instruction, interventions and gifted and talented support and community involvement. She said the plan has been fully implemented in K-5, with 6-8 and then 9-12 to follow. She said the vision is “upon graduation, AOS 43 students will be able to participate as fully literate citizens in a global society.”
    She added that the AOS 43 districts are both “a work in progress” in regards to the state and No Child Left Behind report cards.
    Both SAD 41 and 31 develop individual school budgets and Wright said in February and March principals come forward to discuss their school staffing and other needs. He said in April the budget meetings, which are open to the public, begin to examine the various requests.
    Wright said he and other officials always consider “how much we are going to be able to do to improve our schools and what are our communities’ ability to pay for it? It’s always a struggle and every year we try to look at everything.”
    An initial budget review is scheduled for the May 6 SAD 41 school board meeting, with the directors scheduled to vote on the 2015-16 spending plan at the regular June session. If approved the annual district meeting would be Tuesday, June 16 and the referendum one week later.
    Wright said SAD 41 has challenges such as overcrowding at Milo Elementary and an aging Penquis Valley School facility that may need some upgrades.
    The superintendent also said “the elephant is out of the room” as at a meeting the previous evening the idea of sending SAD 41 secondary students out of the district to another school was discussed.