FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 will be exploring options to increase in-person learning days Curriculum Coordinator Laura Columbia announced to board members on Tuesday, March 9. To receive feedback from staff about proposed schedule changes, the board approved Columbia’s request for March 26 to be a teacher workshop day.

Farmington Board Member Scott Erb asked Columbia if modifying the schedule this late in the school year was necessary as it may result in more complications for staff, parents and students.

“I am planning for a full return next year, right? I think we all are, we’re ready. I also want to be transparent, that is, I don’t know what the CDC guidelines are going to be so I think our model could be maximized more for more days for students on site,” Columbia said. “And I would also like to get that kind of feedback and implementation now so that when we start in the fall we’ll have a better understanding rather than starting the fall with a new model.” 

Regarding vaccinations, interim Superintendent Monique Poulin informed the board that all school staff are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine following Governor Janet Mills’ March 3 announcement.

“We were fortunate to get information that our staff members age 60 and older who are interested in a vaccination will be invited for their first vaccination on Saturday. Franklin Memorial/Maine Health is sponsoring that,” Poulin said.

Director of Technology Jeff Brazee provided the board with an update of the department’s distributions. From Aug.-Sept. over 1,300 laptops were issued to grades 6-12 and over 1,000 iPads were issued to students in kindergarten to fifth grade. In Nov. and Dec., 150 iPads were distributed to those teaching grades 6-12.

Brazee also urged participants to fill out the broadband survey at www.mainebroadbandcoalition.org which is using results to map the state’s internet accessibility.

In other business, members provided committee reports.

The Personnel and Finance Committee has been working on the district’s superintendent and business manager search. The Educational Policy Committee will be reviewing the district’s affirmative action policy which has not been revised in 20 years.

Supporting students through academic challenges has been the focus of the Drop-Out Prevention Committee which helped implement the Remote Starks Tutoring Project.

During the chairperson’s report, Angela LeClair informed members that the board’s last student representative, Whitney Frasier, submitted their resignation.

LeClair read from Frasier’s letter, “I appreciate you electing me to sit on the board as a student representative. I have learned a lot during my time with the team. Thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity. I hope you all understand and accept the fact that this year is not what I expected my senior year to be. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity and hope that I have other ways that I can serve my community in the future.” 

The board hopes to gain four student representatives next school year and Farmington Board Member Doug Dunlap has volunteered to mentor incoming students.

Interim Mt. Blue High School Principal Joel Smith offered a good news report, announcing that both the boys and girls alpine ski teams won the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference on Tues., March 9.

In another positive report, Director of the Foster Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center Melissa Williams said that the district is celebrating students and staff during National Career and Technical Education Month. Programs and students are being highlighted through social media.

Williams also announced that students in the new Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program will be starting clinical ride-alongs and Foster CTE’s nursing instructor is also preparing students for clinicals.

“Despite all that’s going on, we still have our students that are training in these really serious places and they’re prepared and ready to go,” Williams said. “And they really want to serve their communities and it’s really exciting to see the group of students going out.”