Windham Town Manager to chair WMS Repurpose Advisory Committee

By Ed Pierce

With ground about to be broken next month for construction of the new Windham Raymond Middle School, a town committee will undertake the important job of making recommendations to the Windham Town Council about how best the existing Windham Middle School can used once the new school opens in 2027.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts will lead the 
Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee
which will make recommendations to the Windham Town
Council about how to best use the school building once
the new Windham Raymond Middle School is opened
in the fall of 2027. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

During the July 9 Windham Town Council meeting, councilors took the step of appointing Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts as the chair of the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee. By unanimous vote, councilors voted to have Tibbetts fulfill that role as a non-voting and impartial and objective member of the committee.

Council David Nadeau had originally proposed having either a town councilor or the town manager or assistant town manager chair the committee but ultimately withdrew having a councilor as a possible chair for the committee in an amended motion.

“We’ve gone through this before and want to make sure this committee has a little bit of structure and stays on task,” Nadeau said.

Councilor Jarrod Maxfield said having Tibbetts chair the committee makes sense because he is not an elected official.

“I don’t want people to say the council is hijacking it,” Maxfield said.

The purpose of the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee will be to serve as an advisory body to the Windham Town Council for the analysis of potential re-uses for the Windham Middle School’s renovation design, documentation, construction and its potential benefit as a Community Center for the town.

The committee will provide a comprehensive recommendation to the Windham Town Council for consideration in making a final determination for the school building, which was first opened to students in 1974.

Committee members will use community engagement results from a study conducted in August 2019 which identified the need to create a multigenerational facility for all Windham residents that enhances the quality of life for Windham, provides flexible spaces for a range of activities, and is a self-sustaining site that fosters fun for residents.

It is expected that in repurposing the school building some existing Windham departments, such as the Windham Library, the Windham Parks & Recreation Department, Windham Social Services and Food Pantry and the town’s Medical Loan Closet could be included into new spaces there as well as providing flexible space for the community to engage in various activities.

Currently the Windham Public Library is housed in its own building at 217 Windham Center Road, while the Windham Parks and Recreation offices are at Windham Town Hall on School Road and Windham Social Services is housed in its own building at 377 Gray Road in Windham.

Members of the committee will be asked to evaluate and consider adaptive reuse plans by peer communities as templates when it considers proposing future uses for the facility and develop a conceptual plan using the boundaries of the existing school building. They also will be tasked with reorganizing/repurposing the facility’s space to improve the town employee work experience and customer service experience that encompasses health and safety, access, egress, and security, among other concerns.

The committee will perform a complete review of the condition, strengths and weaknesses of the building and how they relate to current and future town needs, recommend improvements to the building structure as appropriate for initial uses and possible phased uses and provide an operational budget for the facility, including maintenance, manpower, debt structure, and anticipated revenues and expenses.

At the July 9 meeting, three councilors were voted to serve on the Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee including Maxfield, Councilor Bill Reiner and Councilor Nick Kalogerakis.

Other committee members are appointed by the town council and the town manager (non-voting member); assistant town manager (non-voting member); Parks & Recreation Director (non-voting member); Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Member; Library Director (non-voting member); Library Board of Trustees Member; Facilities & Grounds Manager (non-voting member); General Assistance Administrator (non-voting member); Age Friendly Windham Coordinator (non-voting member); two prior Community Center Ad Hoc Committee members; and two members of the general public.

Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison said that the committee will report regularly to the town council at their meetings during the Committee Reports section.

The Windham Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee will be disbanded once it makes final recommendations to the Windham Town Council about the repurpose of the school building. <

Curriculum a critical factor in RSU 14 student academic success

Curriculum choices including books and instructional
materials play a major role in a student's academic success
and challenging young minds is a top priority for educators
in selecting curriculum for RSU 14 students, officials say.
PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

By Collette Hayes

Through the years, studies have shown that a school district’s curriculum choices are a major factor in a student’s academic success. And with that in mind, challenging young minds remains at the forefront of how curriculum is selected for RSU 14 students.

District officials say that curriculum that is graduating in difficulty as a student progresses through the school system fosters learning, intellectual growth and the ability to make clear and concise decisions later in life by developing critical thinking skills needed to solve and overcome problems.

According to Christine Frost-Bertinet, RSU 14’s assistant superintendent, the challenge that local schools must meet is to inspire, nurture and provide every learner with the tools necessary to become responsible, informed citizens while meeting the Maine Learning Results Standards.

Strong curriculum and interactions with teachers, mentors and peers, offers the possibility for engaging learning experiences that can meaningfully shape lives and transform communities, she said.

“There are policies established by the RSU 14 Board of Directors that guide the work of selecting instructional materials,” said Frost-Bertinet.

The district’s instructional program and library media centers align with district policies and support its strategic plan to meet short- and long-term goals.

“A student should be able to see themselves in a positive light in any text,” said Christine Hesler, RSU 14’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. “When selecting texts, you are looking at your students and their needs and where they are coming from with varied reading skills, interests and backgrounds. Through texts, students should be broadening their perspectives, building empathy and developing a more global understanding of others.”

According to Frost-Bertinet, when selecting materials, teachers take into consideration developmental appropriateness, as well as the varied ability levels within a class, while often focusing on the same
theme and standards.

She said that teachers identify instructional tools needed to support the school district’s curriculum and strive to teach in transformative ways by personalizing learning at high levels regardless of ability level.

Licensed teachers in the state of Maine complete a teacher-certification program that includes extensive educational course work to meet licensing requirements. Then they must regularly participate in professional development to renew their credentials.

Frost-Bertinet said teachers address a student’s social and emotional well-being by weaving Maine’s Guiding Principles into academic core standards to ensure all areas of their development and learning are supported and they grow academically, intellectually and personally.

“We know that students are exposed to a wide range of issues in school, at home and in their global community. Our work as educators is to create a learning atmosphere that supports a deep understanding of varied topics and promotes respect,” Frost-Bertinet said. “RSU 14 teachers need to be mindful when teaching controversial, sensitive issues and follow the guidelines outlined in our policy.”

Board policies recognize the educational expertise of professional staff and the need for such staff to be involved in the recommendation of instructional materials, Frost-Bertinet said.

“The Board delegates responsibility for the selection of instructional materials and Library-media resources to the professionally trained personnel employed by RSU 14, subject to the criteria and procedures for selection and the board’s policy,” she said.

From time to time there could be topics in the curriculum which may be objectionable to individual students and or parents/legal guardian based on their particular religious, moral or philosophical beliefs. To address that, the RSU 14 Board of Directors has established a policy in which parents and guardians of students have the right to request exemption from instruction when it infringes on their beliefs.

“Multiple policies that focus on instructional materials are being reviewed by the board’s Policy Committee in response to more recent concerns that have been brought forward,” said Frost-Bertinet. “Any proposed revisions will be presented to the full board for review.”    

Overall, the Maine Department of Education provides oversight management of RSU 14’s curriculum, instructional and assessment practices throughout the district’s schools in Windham and Raymond.

Additional curriculum information can be found by visiting the Windham/Raymond Schools RSU 14 Curriculum website at https://www.rsu14.org/ <