At the February 10 regular School Committee (SC) meeting held on Zoom, Superintendent Heather Perry announced that Gorham Schools will receive $777,000 in federal funds which will be used to address student learning regression caused by COVID, as well as for continuing remote learning options in the fall if necessary. She reported that the District Leadership Team has submitted an initial proposed FY22 budget to the SC. The committee’s first all-day budget workshop will be February 27 on Zoom.
Kathy Hamblen, Director of Special Service, and Assistant Director, Nicole Poole, presented an overview update of special education programs and resources at each of the five district schools. The number of students receiving services by the department has increased from 396 in 2013-14 to 406 in 2020-21. They described the type of individualized programs created for each student. These have been adjusted in response to the COVID hybrid schedule. Hamblen would like to offer students more in-school time if adequate space and transportation becomes available. The staff is short two ed techs, a shortage smaller than in many districts, and they are working with The University of Southern Maine (USM) and immigrant communities to reach more potential applicants.
Proposed state legislation will increase the department’s future responsibilities if services for 3 to 5 year old children in the Child Development Services (CDS) program are moved to the public schools and if age-out is extended to 22 years of age. Currently, Hamblen and her staff are working to provide professional development opportunities to employees of early childcare education facilities. They also work with the state Vocational Rehabilitation program and the local ASPIRE program on developing employment training and opportunities. Mohammad Humza Khan, human resources consultant and graduate of Gorham High School (GHS) and USM, presented a summary of the diversity hiring audit he conducted for the district. He interviewed district staff with hiring responsibilities and some people from the applicant pool, as well as reviewing current policies and procedures.
He assessed strengths and identified “gaps in hiring opportunities to attract diverse talent.” Among the district’s strengths, he found a commitment to inclusion, consistency in hiring practices, and a positive reputation. To increase diversity, he recommended strategies for enlarging the applicant pool; currently 35% of applicants are Gorham residents. These include advertising beyond the Gorham Schools website, providing flexibility in the interviewing process, and improving the district’s good retention rate by celebrating diversity, mentoring, and providing pathways for advancement.
Chairman Darryl Wright explained that federal COVID Relief Funding (CRF) for free lunches this past year was greater than the money the district collected from the government and parents under the regular program, but that was because they could not sell a-la carte items, which contributed to a deficit. The CRF program will pay for FY21 lunches, but not FY22. Wright praised Michael Sanborn for his excellent work as Director of School Nutrition.
The SC voted (7-0) to adopt a new policy on the storage and handling of hazardous chemicals in the Gorham schools and a policy on grievance procedures for persons with disabilities. Both are in line with state and federal requirements.
They voted to table adjustments to the Ad-Hoc Anti-Racism Advisory Committee since it will be discussed at the February 24 workshop. They approved the FY21-22 school calendar.