AUBURN — The School Committee on Wednesday approved the first reading of a new set of goals that calls on the district to improve its graduation rate and proficiency in standardized exams.
The district aims to reach a 95% graduation rate and have all students meet or exceed standards on district mandated testing by 2025. The goals additionally urge the district to improve communications and create a master plan to evaluate all school facilities.
A motion by Mayor Jason Levesque to add an additional goal to double the number of college credits earned by students over the next two years was ultimately tabled in a 5-2 vote pending more information.
Levesque told committee members that research shows earning potential is higher for people with some college credit compared to a high school diploma. The Lewiston-Auburn area has one of the lowest levels of post secondary achievement in Maine, hindering the region’s growth, he added.
Members expressed support for the goal, however they questioned whether it was feasible, sharing concerns that it might increase the workload in an already short-staffed environment or draw resources from other important areas.
And with the new Edward Little and Lewiston Regional Technical Center satellite programs expected to open next year, at-large representative Patricia Gautier said she doesn’t want to increase competition with their in-house programs at the start.
Most members agreed that more information was needed before voting.
Levesque argued that current students don’t have the privilege of waiting for a better time to pursue these opportunities, telling School Committee members that if they commit to increasing college credit offerings, the district will find ways to make it happen.
“I can’t tell our juniors and sophomores and freshmen to hold off for a couple years and just (wait) for this to happen,” he said. “Setting goals and figuring out if we can achieve them, even if we don’t think so or have doubts today, is part of our job to be forward thinking.
Ward 4 representative Brian Belknap II said he was in support of the goal and encouraged the committee to conduct a feasibility study.
The discussion seemed to surprise some committee members who said the additional goal had already been voted down by the committee during a workshop.
The dual enrollment committee is working to reduce barriers for students interested in taking these courses, according to Chairwoman Karen Mathieu.
OTHER UPDATES
The School Committee voted 7-0 to renew Superintendent Cornelia Brown’s contract for three more years. The contract will run from July 2023 to June 2026.
Business Manager Mark Conrad provided the School Committee an update on lead testing in Auburn schools. Following more rigorous testing, the district determined that about one in four faucets initially tested had lead levels above the state’s recommended threshold of 4 parts per billion are within state guidelines and need no further actions.
“For some of those faucets, the issue may be we were testing faucets that hadn’t been run, literally in years, that were just not used, Conrad said.
The district is working to repair all kitchen faucets and retest them. Some other faucets and water sources have simply been taken out of service, he said.
During the meeting, the Edward Little Restorative Justice Committee also shared a presentation on a new homeroom mentor program aimed at building a positive school culture and community.
Every Tuesday, the 16 freshmen homerooms meet during flex periods to engage with programming from the program. Upperclassmen students who are members of the Student Leadership Council act as mentors in the homerooms.
“We’re trying to manage expectations in a way that we’re looking to the future,” Aaron Lewis, Edward Little’s Jobs for Maine Graduates specialist, said. “‘What can this do in three to four years,’ not ‘what can this do in three to four months.'”
Feedback for the new programming has been positive thus far, according to Restorative Justice Committee members.
“I really feel like my freshmen are on their way to becoming friends,” Melissa Margerones, an English teacher, said. “I’ve been here for 26 years, I’ve had homerooms before where some students didn’t even know the names of the students, and I don’t know how that’s possible, but everybody knows each other’s names and they’re smiling and they’re actively engaging in the morning.”
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