SAD 41 revamping alternative education program
MILO — The SAD 41 alternative education program will have a new name, new location, and new method of instruction when classes begin at the end of the summer. Superintendent Darcie Fournier told the school board about the changes during a July 10 meeting at the Penquis Valley School.
Fournier said the alternative education program had been offered at the Marion C. Cook School in LaGrange, which also houses the district/AOS 43 offices, and has been experiencing a decline in enrollment. “We are not willing to give up that program,” she said.
The superintendent said the alternative education program will move to the grade 5-12 Penquis Valley School complex in Milo. The transition will enable students to assimilate more with their peers and be able to potentially take part in more classes with other pupils such as physical education, art, and music.
The new program will be called All Students Achieve at Penquis or ASAP. Fournier said a regular education and special ed teacher would both be part of the program.
The special education position is currently being advertised on ServingSchools.com at https://www.servingschools.com/job/e3clja/special-education-teacher/milo/me
The description says Penquis Valley Middle High School (5-12) is seeking a collaborative, compassionate, and highly motivated special education teacher to co-teach with a general education teacher in a new, combined alternative education/special education program (All Students Achieve at Penquis or ASAP) serving students in grades 8-12 in the 2024-25 school year and beyond. The successful candidate will possess the knowledge, skills, and disposition needed to build a program from the ground up, including a commitment to ensuring student achievement and engagement and the ability to develop and implement personal learning plans in an inclusive setting.
Fournier said ASAP is still being developed, “We will be building the ship as we are sailing it.”
She said the Academy Program, which serves younger special education students, will be moving to the Milo Elementary School campus. “The closer they are to their grade-level peers, the better,” Fournier said.
The superintendent said classroom space freed up at the Marion C. Cook School will be used to house a future program for children ages 3-5. Fournier said as of the fall of 2027, a new state law requires that school districts provide educational services to this age group beyond only pre-kindergarten and including those with IEPs. Similar services are currently under the auspices of Child Development Services.
“The law just passed this spring, so we are all learning,” she said.
Fournier said there are grants available to help cover needed renovations — SAD 41 facilities are not currently set up to accommodate 3-year-olds — especially for districts looking to implement early.
“We need to start the planning process in order to apply for grants when they are available,” the superintendent said. “Serving 3-year-olds is a different code than what we currently have in our buildings.”
A board committee would handle this and bring information to the full board of directors.