2015-16 RSU 68 spending plan starting to take shape

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Since the start of the calendar year, RSU 68 officials have begun their work on developing the budget for the 2015-16 academic year. During a Feb. 3 school board meeting Superintendent Robert Lucy said that a few weeks prior meetings were held with individual administrators “and they provided an overview of their budgets.”

    Lucy said the finance committee held its first meeting on Jan. 28 to hear presentations from the various administrators with “some give and take” and also to hear “what’s in the budget requests and why.” He said the next meeting of the finance committee is scheduled for Feb. 24, “Hopefully to take a first look at a very rough draft of the budget.”
    He added, “The process is ongoing as you know and I think we are off to a good start and have some good information, and now it is a matter of looking at that information.”
    In his report, Board Chair Rick Johnston encouraged his fellow directors to attend the finance committee meetings — which are open to the public. “We have some very difficult budget decisions to make,” he said. “The more informed you can be in the process, the better you will feel.”
    A draft of the 2015-16 RSU 68 budget could be presented in April with a vote then taken at the May school board meeting. If these steps are followed then the district budget meeting could be held in late May to send the spending plan to a referendum vote several weeks later in June.
    In other business, SeDoMoCha School Principal Julie Kimball said that Foxcroft Academy Assistant Head of School for Academics Jon Pratt and School Counselor Kandi Martin recently talked with eighth-graders about the transition to the secondary school.
    “Foxcroft Academy for the last few years has come and done an elective presentation for kids,” Kimball said, in addition to the Step Up Day and additional evening for parents and students in the spring. She said Foxcroft Academy course registration is done through Power School, and rising freshmen can also sign up for classes through this online program.
    “It is an opportunity for the kids to own it,” Kimball said about their course selection. She said there are “checks and balances” as the students’ eighth-grade teachers and parents must sign off on the classes they are looking to enroll in. Kimball also encouraged parents of eighth-graders to attend teacher conferences next month for further discussions on the move from middle school to Foxcroft Academy.
    “Our One Book, One School finale is Thursday night, that starts at 4,” Kimball said. The evening for students and families to celebrate the conclusion of the shared reading of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will be held on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 4-7 p.m., with students having activities in school the following day.
    Kimball said a middle school talent show will be taking place on the evening of Friday, Feb. 27.
    Food Service Director Kandilynn Hartford gave a presentation to the school board on various happenings that have taken place so far in the school year. She said a Grandparent’s Day was held in September with these family members visiting kindergarteners for lunch. “It was really, really special and I was happy to be a part of that,” Hartford said, saying the early plan is to have another such day next September.
    Also this past September was Maine Harvest Lunch Week, and Hartford said students were able to eat “a lot of local things from farms” including fresh cabbage, apples, broccoli, potatoes and more. She said during this time the kindergarteners had a tour of the SeDoMoCha kitchen and enjoyed shucking corn.
    Throughout the year students have been enjoying produce through a fresh fruit and vegetable program, which Hartford said “really has been a big hit.” She mentioned some of the offerings include star fruit, guacamole, grapefruit and dragon fruit.
    Hartford said a universal free breakfast program began in mid-September, and so far 2,270 more of these meals have been served compared to at the same point last year. “I’m hoping this will help with a lot of things this school year,” she said, such as improved test scores with students having had a healthy meal to start their day.
    In addition to the various initiatives, Hartford said she and her staff have been working to get students more involved by having them contribute suggestions for foods to be served and understanding how menus are developed. “It’s gone really well and the kids have come up with some great ideas,” she said, mentioning a baked potato bar as an example.
    Lucy said he has been very impressed with the innovate approach taken by the food service. He added that the fresh fruit and vegetable program is funded by a grant, and the hope is for this program to continue in the future.
    The school board voted to appoint Luis Ayala as the middle school wrestling coach, a position — like the other coaching jobs — filled on a year-by-year basis. “I would just like to say Luis has done an excellent job,” Lucy said about the veteran head of the Eagle program. “He’s a longtime coach here and he also coaches soccer and wrestling (at Foxcroft Academy) and I think we are lucky to have him.”
    The first wrestling meet of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 4 p.m. with SeDoMoCha hosting the squad from the Ridge View Community School in Dexter.