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RSU 38 board frames budget and sets attendance, behavior-policy and staff-retention goals
Summary
The RSU 38 school committee agreed to prioritize the budget while adopting goals to support student success and wellbeing, reduce chronic absenteeism and update behavior policy as needed; administrators will return with implementation details and exit-interview data in executive session.
At a goal-setting session that followed the data briefing, RSU 38 board members agreed the district's top priority should be producing a balanced, community-minded budget and added goals to promote student success and wellbeing, reduce chronic absenteeism and, if needed, update district behavior policy to reflect changes in student culture.
Board members discussed procedural changes to the budget timeline and process: administrators proposed presenting a full budget-overhaul plan in October and beginning formal budget work in November so the board can deliberate earlier rather than compressing discussions in March. The administration also proposed presenting budget components tied to warrant articles for clearer public deliberation and suggested a smaller subcommittee to make intermediate recommendations.
Summer-school funding was raised as an immediate budget consideration: administrators said last year ESSER funds paid for summer school and next year those costs (estimated in the packet at roughly $77,000 for the program line cited) will need to be absorbed into the regular budget; board members asked staff to provide cost estimates to evaluate direct home-to-program transportation options as a way to increase participation.
On attendance, committee members and administrators debated how much chronic absenteeism is driven by excused absences such as family travel and by deeper social-emotional issues. One board member said personal experience shows students can be high-achieving yet chronically absent. Administrators described local steps already underway: MTSS teams, family outreach, use of a school social worker, and targeted texts and calls to families. "We offer to go get them," one administrator said of early outreach to students who are repeatedly absent.
The committee asked for additional data and asked principals to return with clearer plans and metrics; board members also agreed to review exit-interview staff data in executive session at the next meeting to inform any retention-related goals.
