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RSU 52 board approves $6,200 Magic School AI subscription for teacher use after policy debate
Summary
After extended debate on research, privacy and curriculum process, RSU 52 voted to include a $6,200 Magic School AI instructional subscription in the FY27 budget; supporters cited digital-citizenship alignment and privacy protections, opponents urged more research and curriculum-committee review.
The RSU 52/MSAD 52 school board voted to place a Magic School AI instructional subscription (listed at $6,200) in the proposed FY27 budget after an extended discussion about student privacy, curriculum process and the educational evidence for classroom-facing AI tools.
Administration said the subscription could be funded out of Title funds if desired and emphasized that Magic School AI was presented as a tool designed for schools with student-data protections. Supporters argued the resource aligns with the district's strategic plan objective on digital safety and digital citizenship and would give teachers a way to instruct students on the appropriate use of AI. Board member Bree framed the purchase as fitting into the district's strategic goals for digital citizenship and curriculum development.
Opponents, including Anthony, urged caution and cited research concerns about large language models and learning transfer, arguing the district should make research-based decisions and that curriculum-adoption procedures should be followed. Anthony asked that any curriculum elements go through the curriculum committee rather than being adopted via a budget line item. Public commenters raised similar cautionary points during the public-comment period.
Despite the debate, a motion to include the Magic School AI resource in the budget passed. The board said it would seek further information and presentations on how the program would be used and how safeguards would operate before broad classroom implementation.
The transcript records discussion of national guidance: one speaker referenced the White House national policy framework on AI in education as context for classroom training, and administration noted a webinar on school AI policy they had registered for.
The motion as recorded in the meeting minutes did not include a clear roll-call tally in the transcript; the chair announced the motion passed.
