Lewiston School Committee plans public session Oct. 9 to gather input on committee goals; members emphasize staff retention and cost transparency

The Lewiston School Committee on Sept. 22 reviewed a draft process for setting committee goals and scheduled a public input session for Oct. 9 to gather community and staff feedback. The committee also plans to distribute a survey and to reconvene after collecting responses.

Superintendent Jake Legman said the committee’s goals should align with the district’s comprehensive needs assessment and existing Title funding priorities, and he urged honesty about the cost, staffing and space required to implement proposed goals. “When we look at the nitty gritty of what it would take to get there, what would be the ramp up, how many positions do we have the space, what would be the tools and materials,” Legman said.

Committee members and public commenters urged that staff retention and special education programming be considered. Committee Member Iman Osman said she was weighing whether to fold staff turnover and special education concerns into existing goal umbrellas or create separate goals; Osman cautioned against adding so many goals that the committee loses focus. Public commenters Matthew Edgren and Matthew Aikron told the committee to prioritize teacher and staff retention and to publicize successful programs — Edgren cited a newly returning local deaf program as an example of work the district should highlight.

Committee members asked staff to keep cost estimates and budget implications visible as the goals process moves toward spring budget discussions. Legman said staff will collect feedback, present results to the committee and incorporate input before returning with a refined goals list.