Futures Task Force Meeting Summary (August 29)

Meeting Date: August 29

 New Items:

• Recapped the August 28 Workshop with the School Board, agenda items included: Review of Task Force task, Scenario Statements, Cost Drivers. Slides from the Workshop are available: https://www.rsu16.org/about/futures-task-force
• Utilized “Fist to Five” consensus protocol. Building consensus with a group results in a decision that everyone can live with.  Consensus doesn’t mean everyone is enthusiastic or it was your first choice, but it does mean that everyone clearly understands the situation or the problem to be decided, has analyzed all the facts together, and then has jointly developed solutions that represent the whole group’s best thinking about the optimal decision.
• The Task Force reached consensus (using “Fist to Five”) that Scenario 2 will be eliminated. It will be referenced in the final report, including the statements and cost drivers; however it will not be one of the scenarios brought to the School Board.

Scenario 1: Keep 3 hometown elementary schools - fund them, staff them and fix them
Scenario 2: Reduce the number of PreK-6 elementary schools to 2: Combine ESS and MCS, keep PCS as is (fund them, staff them and fix them)
Scenario 3: Reduce the number of PreK-6 elementary schools (fund them, staff them and fix them) to 2 AND reconfigure (example: PreK-2 school and 3-5/6 school)
Scenario 4: Keep 3 elementary schools - (fund them, staff them and fix them) AND reconfigure (example: PreK-1 school, 2-4 school and 3-5/6 school)

• Faced with the inability to reach consensus, a non-binding informational poll was employed to provide the School Board with insights into the placement of 6th grade and the preferences related to the final two scenarios. It's important to note that these findings do not constitute a recommendation; rather, they will serve as valuable data.
  • In the non-binding informational poll, the option of sending 6th grade to middle school received 4 “yes” votes and 17 “no” votes. Regarding scenarios, 16 members favored Scenario 3, while Scenario 1 was indicated as the preferred choice by 5 members in a non-binding informational poll. It's important to note that these findings do not constitute a recommendation; rather, they will serve as valuable data for School Board consideration.
• The Final Report for the September 11 School Board meeting is in draft form and will be worked on throughout the week.
• All information is on our website:https://www.rsu16.org/about/futures-task-force

Next meeting is September 11 - Presentation to the School Board 
Members of the Task Force will hold a workshop with the RSU 16 on September 6 to update school staff on the information it has collected.

Task Force membership: Todd Sanders, Amy Hediger, Erik Anderson, Shawn Vincent, Jessica Madsen, Kaitlynn Brown, Brandi Comeau, Jenny Rose, Jo St Peter, John Hawley, Jacque Russo, Jennifer Gagnon, D'Arcy Robinson, Steve Robinson, Brittany Hemond, Robert Klar, Terri Arsenault, Tarsha Downing, Randy Lautz, Angela Swenson, Elizabeth Martin, Emily Rinchich, Mary Martin.