News
Candidate profiles:
Ron
Brann and Carmel Morin are running for the one-three-year
seat for SAD 15 School Board, representing New Gloucester.
Carmel Morin is an incumbent.
The
Monument posed three questions to all the candidates:
1.
Please name the top three issues you see as facing
your Board.
2. Tell The Monument Readers how you will approach
solving the one most
pressing of the above-mentioned issues.
3. Please share your favorite quote.
Ron
Brann,
New Gloucester Candidate for one 3-year seat on the
School Board
Question # 1-
As a parent with children in the school district,
previously having worked as a substitute teacher in
the district, and as a small business operator, I
have been able to see the top 3 issues facing our
school community from a variety of angles. The first
that I see is the need to renovate the aging buildings,
as well as the ongoing maintenance of the buildings,
while trying to fund this work and minimize the impact
on the taxpayers.
Secondly, every year there are more and more unfunded
mandates from both the State and Federal Levels. Mandates
such as 'No Child Left Behind' while intended to improve
teaching and learning put many new requirements on
the schools, teachers and students but provide no
additional funding to the schools to meet these requirements.
Third, is the need to continue to provide the best
educational opportunities to our students who learn
in a variety of ways and at a variety of levels.
Question # 2-
I am currently involved in working with an ad hoc
committee of the school board on the issue of the
renovation and maintenance of the buildings. This
committee is currently evaluating the needs of each
of the schools and establishing the priorities, as
well as the costs. We are working closely with some
third parties to evaluate what the needs are, as well
as the options. We are also looking at the variety
of ways to fund the most important projects and trying
to minimize the overall tax impact to the community.
Question # 3-
"Children need your presence more than they need
your presents"-
Unknown
I saw this quote recently while at my dentist and
thought how appropriate it is to the needs of children.
Carmel
Morin,
Candidate for the one 3-year seat on the SAD 15 Board
of Directors, representing New Gloucester.
I
am Carmel Morin. I have lived in New Gloucester most
of my life. I am a graduate of Gray- New Gloucester
High School, University of Southern Maine, BA, and
Wheaton College (IL), MA. I have served on the School
Board since 1996. For me, the three problems facing
a board member are: maintaining fiscal restraint,
keeping an understanding and record of the District's
history, and listening to all the people.
1. Fiscal Restraint: I just had a conversation with
a person on a fixed income who just saw their supplemental
plan to Social Security increase by one third and
they cannot afford a major increase in their taxes.
They are not the only ones who cannot afford an increase.
A number of year ago I was watching the polls when
there was a large proposed increase in MSAD ft 15's
budget.
I remember seeing young parents come in with their
children in tow and recognizing, after the vote, that
they were the ones who defeated the budget. They also
had a limited income and although their children's
education was important they had other costs which
were just as important.
Because of the fiscal restraint the voters have placed
on the administrations the district has found ways
to teach the children so that, as one Board chair
noted, while MSAD ft 15 is in the bottom third in
spending we are in the middle when it comes to the
MEA's, not far behind many of those communities who
spend much more on their student's education.
2. Understanding our History: So often the District
keeps trying to reinvent the wheel when previous administrations
have done that work, yet there is no history. A recent
example is there was to be a vote on the mileage rate
this year. A previous administration had sought and
gained the Board's approval to establish a written
administration procedure on the mileage rate. It was
never done so a request for a change was brought back
to the Board. Only because a Board member remembered,
was there an understanding. Because we have an ever-changing
Board we need that sense of history to ground us.
3. Listening to all the people: One of the biggest
problems for many Boards to understand is the community
has a better understanding of the school system than
most realize. Many have or have had family in the
school system and many times see the same problems
continuing. The classic example is evaluation of teachers.
Close to twenty years ago the community was asking
for evaluations and almost every administration have
promised them. Yet when it looked tike evaluations
were in place there would be a change in administration.
A new administration would come in, need to reinvent
the wheel, and...We start all over again.
This is our biggest problem. Because we do not listen
to the community, establish a history, and work on
the problems they are asking for they will continue
to show their displeasure the only way they can, though
the ballot box.
Whether you support me or not I urge you to vote on
June 14the and support the candidate of your choice.
Thank you.
