Welcome to Regional School Unit 13
*RSU 13 SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH*
The RSU 13 Superintendent Search Committee requests your help in selecting the best possible candidate to serve our district in the coming years. With so many new and innovative educational opportunities on the horizon, we believe it is important to receive information about what you think the qualities and qualifications should be in our Superintendent of Schools. In an effort to gather this information, the committee has established an on-line survey which we hope many of our community members, whether parents, educators, business people, students or any other interested party will participate in.
SURVEY RESULTS
1. Survey Responders
2. Survey Responder Residence
3. Survey Responder Children
4. Survey Responder Priorities
5. Survey Responses
*RSU 13 CONTINUES STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS*
At the beginning of this school year, a Strategic Planning Team -- comprised of representatives drawn from our six communities, the staff, the board, and the administration -- was convened to lead a process focused on developing a five-year strategic plan for the school district. Intended to be a blueprint for action, the strategic plan will ultimately identify priorities that will be adopted by the RSU 13 School Board, then implemented by the administration and staff. The priorities will be accompanied by a set of leading measures that will track progress and the effectiveness of the district’s education system. Areas of focus will entail teaching and learning; recruitment, retention, and evaluation of staff; financial matters; facilities; community engagement; and development.
Engaging the public and gleaning from the citizens of RSU 13 their thoughts and ideas for guiding the district toward excellence over the next five years will heavily influence the content of the strategic plan. To this end a Community Forum was held on the evening of February 29th at Oceanside High School East in Rockland. The Strategic Planning Committee was very pleased to have over one hundred residents turn out for this event that included brief presentations relevant to RSU 13, the strategic planning process, and the emerging challenges facing our students as we look towards and plan for the future. Most importantly, forum participants had the opportunity to meet in small discussion groups and share ideas and recommendations in response to focused questions that had been designed by the Strategic Planning Team. All of the comments and recommendations received at the forum will be consolidated and analyzed so that prevalent themes and concerns can be identified, prioritized, and respectfully considered in continuing strategic planning deliberations. The Strategic Planning Team and RSU 13 School Board were also heartened and thankful to welcome parents, students, interested community members, and RSU 13 educators as forum participants.
For anyone unable to attend the forum, or for those who did attend and would like to contribute additional ideas or suggestions, please click on the link above to gain access to our online questionnaire and THANK YOU for your active interest in RSU 13!
Neal Guyer, RSU 13 Interim Superintendent
Greg Hamlin, RSU 13 School Board Chair
Welcome to Regional School Unit 13 (RSU 13), serving the towns of Cushing, Owls Head, Rockland, Saint George, South Thomaston, and Thomaston. RSU 13 educates 2100 students in ten schools: Cushing Community School (K-4), Gilford Butler School (K-2), Lura Libby School (K-4), Owls Head Central School (3-5), Rockland District Middle School (5-7), Saint George School (K-8), South School (K-4), Thomaston Grammar School (5-7), Oceanside High School West (8-9), and Oceanside High School East (10-12). In addition, District Offices and our high school alternative program are located in the McLain School in Rockland.
The past three-year period has been a time of significant transition and change for our mid-coast area schools. It began with the voter approved merger of our two neighboring districts (MSAD 5 & MSAD 50) in the summer of 2009 and the initiation of RSU 13 as a newly consolidated district. We have since moved to close the McDougal School in Rockland – bringing those elementary grades into the South School, consolidated transportation and maintenance efforts along with administrative services, and established a new and innovative structure for secondary education in RSU 13. Students in grades 8 and 9 are now educated at Oceanside High School West (formerly Georges Valley High School) and students in grades 10 through 12 are being served at Oceanside High School East (formerly Rockland District High School). These and several other initiatives have been pursued with the intent to maintain the quality and diversity of programs in the face of declining enrollments while also being respectful of community resources and values.
Throughout all of these changes, our priority continues to be providing the best quality educational programs for our students. We do this with talented and dedicated staff members in our classrooms and our support personnel positions, led by exceptional administrators.
As we enter the winter/spring of 2012, RSU 13 once again finds itself in an exciting period of opportunity and possibility as we continue to explore what it means to be a unified school district, and realize the potential that we mutually share to enrich learning for all of our students and strengthen our educational partnership. Within this context there are two premier projects that deserve highlighting:
Strategic Planning A Strategic Planning Group consisting of faculty members, school board members, and community members was formed earlier this school year and has been meeting regularly. The charge to this group is to chart a ‘five year plan’ that will eventually be presented to the RSU 13 School Board for adoption. This plan will then serve as a guideline for district-wide operations and planning. Working in collaboration with technical support from the Great School Partnership, this planning group is preparing to solicit as much faculty and community input as possible. To that end a community forum is being planned for the evening of February 29th, 6:30–8:30, at Oceanside High School East. This will be an important opportunity for a wide variety of shared engagement in deliberating and soliciting recommendations to inform this critical long-range planning effort. More details regarding this event may be viewed by clicking here. To see the next meeting agenda, click here.
Superintendent Search Committee With the conclusion of 2011, Dr. Judith Lucarelli decided to retire from RSU 13 after serving as Superintendent, initially for MSAD 5 and then RSU 13, and providing leadership throughout the transitions mentioned above. In order to lead the effort in recruiting and welcoming a new superintendent to our district, a ten-member committee has been established to guide this important effort. Emily Davis (OHS-W School Counselor), Ben Tripp (SS 1st/2nd Grade teacher) and Dr. Tom Wright (RSU 13 Special Projects Coordinator) will serve as staff representatives. Three community members; Everett Spear, Sherman Hoyt, and David Matthews will also serve along with four RSU 13 School Board members; Greg Hamlin, Don Robishaw, Esther Kilgour, and Sally Carleton. RSU 13 has also contracted with Maine School Management Association for technical and logistical assistance with this endeavor. The Committee wishes the public to know that their meetings will be posted on the district website and open to the public until the confidential process of interviewing prospective candidates begins, and they will be soliciting a wide variety of perspectives and input as this process continues. It is hoped that RSU 13 will be in a position to welcome a new superintendent by July 1st of 2012. To see the next meeting agenda, click here.
Please know that your interest in RSU 13 is sincerely appreciated and we encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our schools, general operations, assessment data, and much more. Do not hesitate to contact either of us or any of our district administrators should you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions.
Neal Guyer, Interim-Superintendent of Schools
Scott Vaitones, Business Manager
