JAY — A high school principal presented a concept Tuesday that calls for bringing all the ninth-graders from Jay and Livermore Falls high schools under one roof in a Freshman Academy during the first year of a consolidated school system.

“This is an opportunity to build a new school and build a strong program for students,” Livermore Falls High School Principal James Holland Jr. told about 100 people who turned out to hear concepts for the new RSU 73 system.

The new district becomes effective July 1.

This is all conceptual at this time, Holland said.

A Freshman Academy is a program that provides a strong academic foundation, has a strong student support structure, and facilitates communication between teachers and with families, Holland said.

It is needed to decrease freshman failure rate, increase student achievement and increase the graduation rate, he said.

According to information Holland provided, 31 of 62 freshmen in 2010 from Livermore Falls High School failed one or more of their courses. The total number of courses failed were 79 with some students failing five, Holland said. The school has a school improvement grant to help students achievement.

Four of 58 freshmen at Jay High School failed one or more courses the same year. Five courses were failed in all. Jay has a program to help students recapture credits.

“We’re looking at offering everyone courses making them all college and career ready,” Holland said.

The Freshman Academy would have core courses of grade nine English, world geography/history, grade nine science, and grade nine math.

Career explorations clusters would be industrial arts wood technology, industrial arts metal technology, culinary arts, and technology to get the most out of a laptop.

Students would also need to take physical education and health. Electives would be art, band, French and Spanish.

Two sets of four core teachers would teach about 70 students each. There would also be extra reading, English and math instruction for students who find those courses challenging.

The teacher teams, the core subject teachers, would teach the same group of students. There would be common planning time to monitor student progress and collaborative projects that connect subjects in a relative way.

Jay resident, teacher and parent Julie Taylor said she has taught the middle school for 21 years and this program sounds just like the middle school model. Teachers prepare students to go into high school. Students look forward to getting away from the middle school to go to the high school, Taylor said.

“I think we underestimated the kids,” she said.

Mike Morrell of Jay, a teacher at an Oxford County school, said that he teaches in this type of program that includes all academic levels of students.

“I find it easier to excel the strong and support the weak,” Morrell said.

Asked if there is a possibility of a longer day for Freshman Academy, Holland said there is.

Concerns raised during the discussion were isolating freshmen from other students, dragging out middle school, supporting the lesser skilled students and not supporting the higher skilled students, among others.

Jay Superintendent Bob Wall said the purpose of the program is not to target any class. It’s trying to give students a better education using the resources they have, Wall said.

“The whole process is changing the way we do education,” he said.

Both RSU 36 and Jay school boards plan to vote on the program at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Jay Middle School.

dperry@sunjournal.com

Note: This article has been modified to reflect the correct spelling of Michael Morrell’s last name.