The Gorham School Committee met for a Special Meeting on May 27. All seven members were present.
The committee voted (7-0) to approve the bid for a Great Falls School HVAC project for $236,000 pending the budget referendum approval. They also approved (7-0) the Narragansett PreK and ADA compliance project at Narragansett School for $320,000 and an insurance bid for $220,196. The Narragansett project is partially funded through a previously approved bond and Capital Improvement Project funds (CIPs) also pending school budget approval.
The committee voted (7-0) to approve the appointment of the following teachers:
Cadence Whitehouse as Special Education Behavior Teacher at Village
Kayla Fotheringham as Special Education FLS Teacher at Narragansett
Virginia Drew as Grade 5 Teacher at Narragansett
Emily Labbe as 8th Grade ELA Teacher at Gorham Middle School
Ashley Peterson as Kindergarten Teacher at Narragansett
They also approved (7-0) two administrative appointments: Jennifer Baker as Assistant Principal at Village School and Rosemarie Dyer as Assistant Director of Special Education. All new hires had been through an extensive interview and vetting process.
Superintendent Heather Perry presented a draft of the revised “Portrait of a Graduate” document for committee review. This document is focused on the Maine Guiding Principles and will be the foundation of the school district for many years. Committee members will review the document and it will be approved at a future School Committee meeting.
A draft of the new, state-required cell phone policy was discussed extensively by the committee and administration. Through the passing of the Governor’s budget, it is now required that all school districts have a bell-to-bell cell phone and personal device ban in place by August 1. Presently cell phones are unavailable at GHS for class time but students are able to access them and use them during lunch and in the hallways. This procedure has worked well for the high school but will need to be modified. A proposal to address changes has been drafted and will be on the agenda for a first and second reading at June committee meetings to comply with the new state law.
Superintendent Perry also presented a draft of the “AI Student Handbook” that has been developed by a committee including administrators, educators, students and parents. This draft recognizes the existence of AI in education and proposes the scope and guidance around its use based on security, transparency and trust. This draft will be available for approval at the June 10 School Committee meeting. This handbook will be followed by a staff handbook, which will be developed in the fall.