Forwarded from the Supt’s office today. Please note the change in date and especially location. Though Katahdin’s communities now have few illusions about any benefit to their children or taxpayers… Still… The gavel dropping anywhere but Katahdin is tone deaf, to put it mildly…..
“As many of you may know the scheduling/cancellations of the last few board meetings has been quite a challenge.
Due to basketball games on both sides of the district, accountants, and other entities involved with our scheduling, we are going to move the board meeting to January 12th.
The meeting will be in the gym at SACS. Our intent is provide an agenda later today. I regret any hardship this places on anyone. The primary intent for the date change is to allow parents from our communities to attend the board meeting.
We will also be considering adjustments to the agenda to allow for the most expedient attention to matters on the agenda that have been delayed due to the previous cancellations”
Mike Hammer
Interim Superintendent
RSU 50
mhammer@rsu50.org
207-757-8223 (O)
207-944-7751 (C)
cent7
danimoodykaygmailcom
delaneyfitz
skier1996
Timbered Classrooms... 
Every month the board meetings change location. We were going to be in Stacyville as that was the month it fell into, a second reschedule was still in December, so they held to the Stacyville location. We will be in Dyer brook for January, this has been the natural process for the last few years to be fair to both sides of the district. The meeting was moved to Tuesday so the Katahdin / SACS parents could still attend games and not miss the meeting. No matter what, somebody is going to be unhappy. Also, for the month of November the meeting location was moved from SACS to the Municipal Building to accommodate the southern end of the district. They must not feel the municipal building is big enough to hold the anticipated crowd at this next meeting?
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“The natural process….” ….except for particularly sensitive meetings moved to the Island Falls Municipal Building… …a move viewed less favorably than “Accommodating …”
Are you suggesting retaining the original meeting venue would have been, in some way, “unfair”?
SACS’ communities have been overwhelmingly empathetic about the losses at stake for Katahdins children and taxpayers…… District officials all too often choose to hang a lantern on their own callousness.
Ultimately, the RSU #50 leadership is responsible for each and every choice however unconscious and for any it decides to defer to chance; hardly an arbeter of “fairness”.
“No matter what somebody is going to be unhappy..” That is the only sort of decision an RSU Board is capable of rendering and why it serves children, taxpayers and communities so poorly.
Dropping the “gavel” in the within the very infrastructure the vote will take away is the principled, courageous path….
No one is surprised….
I repeat:
Tone deaf.
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LOL, no one should be surprised as school board meetings have been alternating locations every month now for years. Visiting this site has given me a valuable education…most importantly though, a great laugh!
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You haven’t been paying attention.
Meetings alternate between locations EXCEPT when the Board chooses to change venue – specifically, using the Island Falls Municipal Building when they haven’t the sand to walk into Katahdin.
Visit us more often!
You NEED “an education”…
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One last question for you and then I am out for GOOD, how many hours of public service have you given “your” communities through the years of your existence? That’s what I thought…leadership at it’s best right there!
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What does THAT have to do with the price of tea in China?
But… In a strange way, I’m glad you asked.
You may not be in a minute:
Those without a case always want to get personal, and you reveal enough about yourself.
Anyone who actually knows me personally knows that I volunteer extensively – working on costumes for the performing arts club, bottle drives, bake sales, chaperoning field trips and dances. I volunteer at Bible school. My husband and I have done numerous catering events as a donation to charity alongside our actual charitable donations.
…and that is in ADDITION to my work on the school consolidation issue that, in fact, began with volunteering to help “my community”!
In 2004, then-Commissioner Susan Gendron wanted to close Benedicta Elementary…
I worked very hard researching school consolidation and was, frankly, surprised where the evidence led. Everything I thought I knew? All the promises of enhanced opportunity and cost savings? Wrong!
My life would have been much easier if consolidation worked; if it didn’t do so much irreparable harm to kids, taxpayers and communities…. Because everyone assumes othewise!
Back to “volunteering”: All the research I did Was on my own expense of time and money (printing, travel to lectures etc.)
I “volunteered ” to go to the Board as a friend; to share all I had learned and was barely allowed to finish a sentence – for the same reason I am not eligible to run for the Board.
I live in the UT and have no vote. I am a parent and my voice WILL always follow my children.
I “volunteered” to go to the Board in 2013 on behalf of a student whose petition to save instrumental music was ignored by the Board. Turns out the Supt never passed it to the Board then lied in an open forum about it. The co-chair said “It wouldn’t have mattered anyway” and proceeded to attack ME and tell other Board members not to communicate with me at all.
I have the letter to prove it.
Since then, I have been told I need to “shut up”, called “nothing” and threatened with expulsion from a meeting though I have always conducted myself in a respectful manner.
That is what Boards do that have made up their mind to put all the money In one school. Evidence to the contrary makes them angry and there is research to predict this published here on TC.
I take a back seat to no one when it comes to travel for opportunity for Our children; advocacy for kids generally. My life is a testament to that. For three years I drove to Ellsworth every Saturday while our oldest son played in orchestra and our younger one took guitar lessons. If travel to SACS would give them opportunity I would support it, but it is a lie.
I care about ALL children and my parents who pay taxes on Sherman that RSU 50 can’t stop wasting.
Serving on a Board should not be easy – it is an awesome responsibility. Board members need to step up their due diligence and stop sitting around like potted plants drinking the Supt’s manure tea…
I cannot pretend the RSU 50 leadership is “all about kids” with this scheme when they limit their information to What the Supt. Tells them; when they refuse to offer evidence and treat people so badly…
What have YOU done to serve YOUR community? Besides offer up unsubstantiated drivel about my personal worth?
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Timbered classrooms should be applauded for the many hours of research and the information that has been backed up by facts. I realize how difficult it is to raise a family, be a spokesperson for your community, school and children. I’ve been enlightened time and again on your knowledge of consolidation and how it rarely favors the child. There are times when we have no choice but to consider consolidation, however this is not one of those times. By “jumping the gun”, this situation has benefited no one. Well, with the exception of the superintendents wallets! Unfortunately it’s pitted school against school, neighbor against neighbor, and mostly it’s hurting our children. RSU50
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I just want to jump in for a moment and say how fortunate your kids are to still have some of the arts in their lives with the instrumental and music they are still able to be involved in. With that said, how sad it is to attend home basketball games with no band playing to ecourage our team and add some pep for our fans! Please don’t take anything else away from our community!!
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There is nothing via the school.
It is worse than sad.
Where did all the money go that funded last year’s music program?
Why is it so difficult to find out?
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