JAY — Regional School Unit 73 directors Thursday, Nov. 12, unanimously approved the creation of an advisory committee on equity.

The committee can’t create programs, only suggest, Board Chairman Robert Staples said prior to the vote.

Every district in Maine is doing this as an advisory committee, director Patrick Milligan said.

“There are going to be some really uncomfortable conversations. Let’s listen to what’s going on out there, be prepared for allowing students who may not feel they can speak up, speak up without judgment,” he said.

When making decisions, director Phoebe Pike said she asks if it’s the right thing to do, can it be done with empathy and is it kind.

“I’ve always felt passionately that it’s our job as a board to ensure that every person who comes in contact with our schools feels welcome. If it’s not kind, it shouldn’t be done,” she said. “It never hurts to have more voices.”

The committee would be made up of stakeholders from the RSU 73 community, administrators, kindergarten through grade 12 staff, parents and school board members and would meet regularly, when called by the board, to review and advise on:

Policy — Review of district policies to ensure equitable practice. May advise on revision of policy or the creation of new policy where needed.

Curriculum — Review district curriculum to ensure diversity and representation of all populations and determine equal access to educational opportunities for all students of all abilities.

Facilities — Review of the facilities and equipment to ascertain all students have equal access to educational opportunities and school activities.

In addition to the areas mentioned above, the committee could be called upon to advise on any issues related to equity within its scope.

In other business, the board authorized a $1.89 million funding agreement for air quality and energy conservation equipment and renovation and improvement projects at RSU 73 schools, Phase II of the Siemens Project.

The 12.5 year agreement would have an interest rate of 3.25% for an annual cost of $189,332, Superintendent Scott Albert said.

“That’s less than what we were shooting for,” he added.

At the June 25 meeting, it was noted that voter approval is not required as it is an energy audit and performance based project, so long as the second phase is completed within five years of the first.

Phase II projects include:

Generator and main electrical switch at high school

Handicap lift for stage at high school

Main window replacement library at high school

New kitchen service wall at middle school

Boiler room upgrade at middle school

New roof at middle school

New Entry Vestibule at elementary school

New Office entrance and vestibule at primary school

New Freezer at primary school

Milligan also shared thoughts from his virtual attendance at the Maine School Management Association’s annual fall conference.

“As a new board member, I found it to be a very critical piece to the puzzle,” he said.

There were two live speaker broadcasts and four pre-recorded ones to choose one from during each hour-long session.

Mental health and cultural diversity were the two hot topics, Milligan said.

“The mental health piece was a very eye-opening topic, the keynote speaker had interesting things to say,” he said.

It’s not only staff; students are having mental health issues too, he added.

Now available only to conference attendees, Milligan plans to provide links for the cultural diversity piece once he can do so.

Cultural diversity was huge, there were a lot of links shared, YouTube videos, he added.