FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors unanimously approved a pilot program this week that would create an alternative pathway for high school students at risk of dropping out.
The program targets students considering leaving the district to pursue online schooling, homeschooling or adult education. Forty students withdrew from RSU 9 for those reasons during the past school year.
The plan establishes an online option called the Digital Learning Program, overseen by a part‑time learning specialist and powered by Edgenuity, the same platform used by the district’s adult education program. Students would complete coursework online but check in for in‑person sessions at the adult education building.
Assistant Principal Todd Demmons of Mt. Blue High School, who serves on the district’s Dropout Prevention Committee, said some students can no longer manage daily attendance.
“The reality is,” Demmons said, “we had that COVID disruption, and there are some students that just can’t do regular school anymore.”
Specific reasons range from mental health challenges to behavioral issues and attendance problems, Demmons said. Other students leave to work or support their families.
Demmons told the board that one student left the district this past year despite being just two classes short of graduating. The student instead earned an adult education diploma.
“But the reality is that these are students that could have stayed with us if we had this alternate pathway,” Demmons said.
Adult education programs can serve only students 17 or older, or 16 with the superintendent’s permission.
Mary Redmond‑Luce, director of RSU 9 Adult Education, said she frequently hears from 14‑ and 15‑year‑olds seeking help.
“They’re just waiting, and there’s nothing I can do,” Redmond‑Luce said. “It’s illegal to serve anyone under 16 in adult education.”
In some cases, she said, students enroll as soon as they become eligible, and it is clear they have not engaged with high school classes for years.
Demmons said RSU 9 modeled its pilot after programs at other schools, including Brewer High School, which increased its graduation rate from 85 percent to 95 percent after adopting a similar approach.
About 60 percent of the pilot’s $65,000 cost would come from repurposing an unfilled full‑time substitute position. That role would shift to supporting the program two days a week and substitute teaching the remaining three. The Finance Committee must determine how to fund the remaining 40 percent, or $25,000.
The program could also benefit the district financially. Each student represents roughly $8,500 in state subsidy, which the district loses when a student drops out. Retaining 20 students would preserve about $170,000.
Demmons said administrators already have lists of students who have dropped out or plan to leave school. He said he knows of five students who finished their sophomore year and intend to leave the district before the next school year begins.
The pilot would aim to serve 10 students in its first year, with room to grow. Brewer caps its program at 52 students.
“I’ll be honest,” Demmons said. “In all the years, this is probably the first time I feel like we’ve actually got something out of this that might make a difference.”
The RSU 9 board of directors voted unanimously to provisionally approve the pilot program, contingent on the Finance Committee developing a funding plan.
The board also approved a plan to use extra state funding to address behavior issues in the elementary schools.
About 80 school districts in Maine received additional funding from an $8 million distribution tied to each district’s percentage of economically disadvantaged students. While the money is a one‑time allocation, it is considered a “bridge payment” as the state’s Essential Programs and Services funding model prepares to factor in those percentages in future years.
The district plans to use most of its $161,000 share to support behavioral needs.
Superintendent Christian Elkington said those needs became clear only after the draft budget had already been presented earlier this year.
“We did not include this in the original budget,” Elkington said. “I will tell you that I would have added these positions if we had seen some of those concerns earlier on.”
The majority of the funds – $110,000 – would pay for two education technicians in the elementary school focused on student behavior, bringing the district to six in total. Another $10,000 would pay a coordinator to oversee the district’s behavior strategy and support training.
A nursing position would be expanded to coordinate the district’s nurses, as well as state agencies and the district’s physician, for $14,000. A part‑time nurse at Cape Cod Hill School would be expanded to full time for $10,000 in response to additional medical needs in that school.
“The board and Budget Committee will need to make decisions,” Elkington said, “because I don’t see this (issue) going away.”
Elkington noted that while the funds would support the positions for one year, he will ask that they be added to the district’s budget moving forward to address student needs.
The board voted unanimously to add the positions.
The remaining $17,000 has not yet been earmarked for a specific purpose. It could go toward the dropout prevention program or be rolled into the district’s balance going forward.
The board also unanimously approved a 10‑year technology plan for the district. The strategic plan was prepared by a committee of administrators, board directors and educators, including Kevin Bremner, the district’s director of technology.
The plan calls for future investment in areas such as cybersecurity to safeguard student data and protect school networks and devices, and artificial intelligence, which the district intends to continue evaluating and building training opportunities around.
Some work cited in the plan, such as consolidating the district’s various school social media accounts under one umbrella, is already underway.
The board also held a brief ceremony to recognize three outgoing directors: Scott Erb of Farmington, Debbie Smith of Weld and Amanda Caruso of Wilton.
“I just want to say in my five years here that I feel very fortunate to know and work with people who believe in the value of public education,” Elkington said. “And I will miss Deb Smith, Scott Erb and Amanda Caruso because they are those kind of people.”
Two newly elected directors — Ruth Gauvin of Farmington and Doug Hiltz of Wilton — are set to join the RSU 9 board at the end of July.
