[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6306506,"mediaKeyId","2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50","parentId",2437503,"title","Region 10, transportation, nutrition and facilities budgets presented as RSU 5 reviews FY26 proposals","audioSeconds",2027,"startMs",4123000,"endMs",6150000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50&start=4123&end=6150","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50/thumbnail_4123000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6306506/Maine/Region-10-transportation-nutrition-and-facilities-budgets-presented-as-RSU-5-reviews-FY26-proposals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306506-9165b141ee77f7ba004e025f067f718a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775735997&Signature=fh-s~HQChkRCUu-fpPaMvDd9al6kpcMOMpPNkNlgCxqz55I3~MNN2e1hmEvn42R1FD603GDYslw9gC8CQfApne8mOTJx10ywlblmbO5xJyX6neQDpuw5e5C447gQae2NitfzLpqoPuV1rKI8tfIRAmU~Ko63TAZkYmVBQCxk7wk8I1ErU6sMusKmVE0uWX7rZirRLRtMYyV57oCCbWgLL48RWAYQj~PT4~CTuOs4YITWOqKgqn7KV4d4GAthfdxvLH8wG4-si5NhI4e8wOMwAYiD5WnyQnCPdpQoqk~gQXZOqj~qf60MQ88tV~apkOMHDkdXaQVsqW86A3BiW4ASAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","RSU 05","date","2025-02-27T04:34:44Z","article","Administrators and agency representatives presented a slate of service and capital budget items Wednesday as RSU 5 continued its FY26 budget review.

Region 10 technical high school: Sybil Brewer, business manager for Region 10, told the board the cooperative’s FY26 request is $4,312,957, a 6.59% increase driven by staff salary step and benefit estimates, a new engineering and architectural design program, and increased maintenance and service contracts. Freeport’s assessed share would rise to about $307,645 (a 6.21% increase), Brewer said. The program’s start‑up includes state aid for new CTE programs available the first three years.

Transportation and fleet plan: Interim transportation director Jeremy Osmalt outlined fleet maintenance, repairs and a proposed three‑year lease‑purchase plan for buses and service vehicles (phase 1 estimate $163,662 for FY26 implementation); the superintendent recommended using undesignated fund balance to offset the initial phase. Osmalt said mechanic staffing remains a challenge and that outsourcing some repairs is a contingency if an in‑house mechanic cannot be retained.

Nutrition and school meals: Nutrition director Erica reported stable staffing and continued high participation in district meal programs (approximately 217,000 meals served year‑to‑date). The nutrition budget request for FY26 is lower than FY25 due to program revenue and local sourcing: the department proposed $139,000 from the general fund, down from about $185,000 in the current year. Erica said the program is preparing for federal changes affecting free meals and added that local procurement (fish, apples) and a pilot vending option for second‑chance breakfast were underway.

Facilities and capital improvements: Facilities director Glenn summarized proposed capital work including a roof section replacement at the middle school, heat‑pump installation in the high‑school teacher lounge, ADA upgrades to elementary bathrooms and life‑safety projects such as alarm panel replacements where equipment is obsolete. The board discussed the trade‑offs between acting now on life‑safety and energy projects and preserving reserves in case of uncertain future state or federal funding; Glenn and administration said they would prioritize items and return with phased options.

Technology and community programs: IT staff presented a FY26 plan focused on targeted classroom Wi‑Fi and device pilots; administration said next year will include pilots to evaluate device choices for grades 6–12 (Chromebooks, iPads with keyboard, or MacBooks) and recommended teacher training alongside any rollout. Community programs budget showed a reduction in adult‑education coordinator hours from full time to part time, reflecting program size and enrollment.

Next steps: Board members asked for clarifications about one‑time start‑up grants for new programs, the mechanics of the proposed vehicle lease purchases, and whether facilities life‑safety projects could be phased if the board chooses to conserve capital reserves. Administration agreed to return with additional detail and sequencing options for capital and service items ahead of March deliberations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-02-26 Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","District and partner presenters reviewed FY26 budget proposals for Region 10 Technical High School, transportation fleet replacement, nutrition program and facilities capital projects; board members asked clarifying questions and flagged life‑safety investments for future prioritization.","taxTitle","RSU 05, School Districts, Maine","taxId",38829,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306511,"Parents and teachers warn proposed Freeport Middle cuts would harm science, RTI and student supports",3581,1480000,5061000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50&start=1480&end=5061","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50/thumbnail_1480000.jpg","/articles/6306511/Maine/Parents-and-teachers-warn-proposed-Freeport-Middle-cuts-would-harm-science-RTI-and-student-supports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306511-0685cb086ed70c0dbb99ded871b5adbc/orig.mp4?Expires=1775735997&Signature=Opm0-pEVeEo2Y6qo3-QdGXCven4NQynao6fGDjeavrtjA6EuPZcKioOuXbCSPdD6klZR6bwISWcawmxQxSXc2YdS2lEg0Z0NfgoFLoLN-RV-Zwn6ofUu3fDP4IMoPNIySp5mPRQiHChIMVEXxSW8Gtok1~TX2Uvc~oz9exIiUYXO5F2CJRbt6qiylLSWoxUU~CxAME9SMj71OmzS5dTvffsSOMXM5pbtB8P2Qa8dVz63d-3jUq8MxJtZL1FATaX3dettovvD6i6la01ZH6ckLB5~f-4oKmIRqchA6nIw~4bx2y1Egfag~yerQ82kXZWQSaZDDb0F2Jl7oCtpqSa5qg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Freeport Middle School administrators outlined proposed staffing adjustments Wednesday that would reduce teaching and support positions in the coming fiscal year; parents, teachers and students urged the board to protect the roles.

Assistant Principal Dr. Paige Fournier described the budget challenges and said the proposed reductions reflected retirements and difficulty hiring part‑time staff. The draft plan would not refill one retiring seventh‑grade science teacher; it also contemplates consolidating two half‑time RTI positions into a single full‑time RTI role and leaving an unfilled general‑education ed‑tech position vacant.

Why staff worry: Seventh‑grade science and the district’s blended STEM program were singled out by school staff as essential to the middle‑school curriculum. Seventh‑grade science teacher Kathleen Brown told the board FMS students exceed state averages on Maine science assessment tests and urged replacement of the retiring teacher to sustain that performance. Seventh‑grade STEM teacher Elaine Depre warned cutting the science role could force STEM changes and risk losing hands‑on engineering and project work that staff say helps attendance and engagement.

RTI and ed‑tech concerns: Amy Colton, the part‑time math RTI teacher, told the board she and a counterpart deliver subject‑specific interventions; the proposal to replace two half‑time specialists with one general RTI teacher, she said, would reduce content expertise. Administrators said the change aims to increase consistency and have one staff member embedded full time to attend team meetings and oversee MTSS structures.

Class size and schedule tradeoffs: Dr. Fournier said the district will explore creative scheduling and staffing models to preserve science and STEM access at each grade, noting that FMS uses different rotation models in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. She and the board acknowledged the final configuration will depend on enrollment and the scheduling committee’s work; they cautioned that no final decisions have been made.

Board and community response: Dozens of public commenters specifically urged the board to retain middle‑school positions, saying cuts would disproportionately harm students with learning or attendance challenges. The board asked administrators for a detailed, grade‑by‑grade staffing and schedule map that shows current staffing and the specific impacts of proposed reductions so members and the public can evaluate tradeoffs before deliberations.

Next steps: Administration agreed to provide the requested visual staffing maps and more precise class‑size scenarios ahead of the board’s budget deliberations in March.","Administrators presented proposed staffing reductions at Freeport Middle School; teachers and parents urged the board not to cut a seventh‑grade science position, ed‑tech hours and RTI capacity, saying the changes would increase class sizes and reduce support for students with attendance and mental‑health needs.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306516,"Freeport meeting draws dozens of public comments on transgender students and girls' sports",565,429000,994000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50&start=429&end=994","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50/thumbnail_429000.jpg","/articles/6306516/Maine/Freeport-meeting-draws-dozens-of-public-comments-on-transgender-students-and-girls-sports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306516-06745b88f164c487b7a66c062227092b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775735997&Signature=KAk5d2U2nxf~x6rF2AiNott4FK7mulr7BWUxkNX4ZWFpZZqcfyPgKKR8pAHRXUO~CPE0IdDaWNV2oZu~ddf6Ccc~thR6-ga4By8Vm0GP~ICxmOrilNV1s32FmE2CBLcvlBG0zCamuHJJUZiX65HI0MqSTOOCIhLDIgThT26kjgdGRrk~D8EKucEnq8i-upbaDIM-8~P4zRI4JaikQ36eWoFdiOMZ~sAg8lqtmXoOa0u0Cn6btM2uRkdyLu314Zy22~OYnzZffrnfwQ00i96-aIaBmB8J-DuCzVAo6VSR6g8g6cjaXgMwC9-m6gLJBxpTX1kHpWrC6Xf~Rr894GNEHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents and students filled the Freeport High School cafeteria on Wednesday to urge the RSU 5 Board of Directors either to uphold district protections for transgender and gender‑expansive students or to revert policies they say threaten fairness in girls’ athletics.

Speakers from multiple Freeport sending communities gave passionate, often emotional testimony before the board: some urged continuation of the district’s October 2023 policy that protects gender‑expansive students, while others asked the board to rescind rules that allow males to compete in girls’ sports.

Student testimony and mental‑health concerns: The board’s student representative,Phoebe, described student mental‑health worries and said \"the number 1 priority should be the students' well‑being and all students' well‑being.\" Students and parents including Amelia Connolly and Nikki Connolly said public scrutiny and national attention have inflicted harm on young people; Amelia told the board she could not imagine being ridiculed \"by an entire country\" for how she identifies.

Arguments from both sides: Supporters of the district’s protections — including State Representative Melanie Sachs and several teachers and parents — urged the board to maintain policies aligned with Maine law and federal precedent. Sachs told the board the policy aligns with the Maine Human Rights Act and urged the board to “continue to follow the thorough, thoughtful policies you and our community adopted.”

Speakers opposing the current Title IX interpretation criticized allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports and repeatedly cited concerns about safety, fairness and college recruiting opportunities. Janice Flynn said Title IX was “created to protect opportunities for females” and urged the board to enforce it in RSU 5. Several speakers cited the Maine Principals Association’s guidance and called for the district to seek changes at that level.

A number of speakers also raised separate but related concerns about the district budget, proposed staffing cuts and volunteer policies. Teachers and staff at Freeport Middle School warned that reductions to a seventh‑grade science post, ed‑tech hours and RTI staffing would harm students who are academically or socially vulnerable.

Tone and turnout: Board members thanked students for speaking publicly. The meeting included heated exchanges among audience members, and moderators briefly recessed the meeting to restore order; the board resumed and continued with its agenda.

What happens next: Board members said they will hear additional budget presentations and deliberate policy changes; the board later voted to revert several Title IX–related policies (see separate coverage).","More than 35 people from RSU 5 communities addressed the board during public comment, with speakers sharply divided over district Title IX policy, transgender participation in girls' sports, and proposed budget cuts affecting student supports.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306521,"RSU 5 board votes to revert Title IX–related policies after federal rules vacated",1527,246000,1773000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50&start=246&end=1773","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2437503-2ec303e5fbb0aeffce9a29cf8da78e50/thumbnail_246000.jpg","/articles/6306521/Maine/RSU-5-board-votes-to-revert-Title-IXrelated-policies-after-federal-rules-vacated","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306521-d2072295977288ef742bf0979e133eff/orig.mp4?Expires=1775735997&Signature=cwLxnzwIV5MgzzaavlypMf1hy-jkyb3KLUT5Q-xo38xk3xuoRzyJzQR8u0CE8sGLRJkGHNFN8lYSe3bsvWM9xGIZzpr31l9k4zLMSKD4v-bOLYbiI88~P3vgL~ks9iUE8fkwOiWs7eWSjihYXqcpV~wJd~Gs0q-ACf~27csYGyxmb3OBCmIupd0rejpShxu5i~r6sS~JtQcYZ3sEK6QiE3QCAPd8GLZVuypz66Vau-ecOaSBkhcm2PRHYtZz788ablOok3qgohpN8q~eLX4WuOqFq~fWYmV3XNArLCsi5GxsO9KjpVlZSMcpcSAN67T~8MaZENT5voOzxxEEin1SRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The RSU 5 Board of Directors voted Wednesday to revert five district policies to the versions in place before October 2024 after a federal court vacated the Biden‑era Title IX regulations.

The reversion affects AC (nondiscrimination/equal opportunity), ACAA (harassment of students), ACAAR (student complaint procedures), ACAB (harassment of employees) and ACABR (employee complaint procedures). Policy committee chair Colin told the board the move is necessary to keep district policies aligned with current federal law.

The board and administration stressed that the reversion is a legal compliance step, not a policy judgment about student protections. \"We cannot have policies that state Title IX covers certain things it no longer does,\" Colin told the board, arguing the district must not list federal requirements that no longer exist. The board asked legal counsel to advise on whether RSU 5 can, consistent with state and federal law, create local policies that restore or expand protections that the vacated federal rules had provided.

Why it mattered: A federal court ruling on Jan. 9, 2025 vacated the 2024 Title IX rule set, returning schools to the 2020 regulatory regime in many respects. That change narrowed several obligations for schools under federal Title IX rules — including timelines, hearing procedures and some definitions of prohibited conduct — and expires certain federal procedural protections introduced in 2024. Colin said the board’s immediate duty was to ensure district policy documents do not incorrectly cite federal requirements that no longer exist.

Board action and next steps: The motion to revert the five policies was made by Colin and seconded by board member Beth; the motion passed. The board directed district legal counsel to advise on options for locally reestablishing protections — where permitted by state law — and requested the policy committee and administration return with proposed language and legal analysis for consideration.

What remains in place: The district’s policy specifically addressing transgender and gender‑expansive students (ACAAA), adopted in October 2023, was not changed by the vote and remains on the books. Administration and speakers reminded the board that the Maine Human Rights Act continues to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and remains an authoritative state requirement for districts in Maine.

Board members said they will pursue follow‑up work and legal review before proposing any local policies intended to re‑create protections that are no longer specified by the federal Title IX regulations. The board also asked administration to prepare a clear, public communication explaining the legal change and reaffirming the district’s ongoing commitments to student safety and civil rights.","The RSU 5 board voted to revert five district policies to their pre‑October 2024 versions after a federal court vacated the Biden‑era Title IX rules; the board said it will seek legal guidance on whether and how to restore protections beyond current federal requirements.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Region 10, transportation, nutrition and facilities budgets presented as RSU 5 reviews FY26 proposals

Parents and teachers warn proposed Freeport Middle cuts would harm science, RTI and student supports

Freeport meeting draws dozens of public comments on transgender students and girls' sports

RSU 5 board votes to revert Title IX–related policies after federal rules vacated