RSU 23 outlines curriculum rollout; superintendent schedules joint meeting on school construction

Superintendent John Suttie told the RSU 23 board on Sept. 15 that the district had "a great start to [the] school year," with buses running and students settled in classrooms. He announced a joint meeting on Oct. 5 involving the town council, the school board and architect Jeff Larimere to discuss options for building a new school or schools, and invited the public to a "coffee with the superintendent" on Oct. 12 at LMS to raise concerns or ask questions.

Suttie also reported operational and community items: the district is working with Moody’s to plant trees along Dirigo Drive as a separation from the TIDES program, and Hannaford selected TIDES as the recipient of its October reusable-bag program, donating $1 per qualifying bag sold to the program.

Curriculum presenters Eric Hanson and Barb Fletcher summarized the district’s early‑release professional development day on Sept. 14. K–5 grade‑level teams and 6–12 subject teams used a rubric to complete self‑assessments and set goals, identifying the standards and skills students need at each grade and beginning to plan the instructional approaches and professional development necessary to deliver those learning targets.

Board member Michelle Violette said she had observed teachers making deliberate efforts to get to know students as individuals and asked whether surveys and personalized approaches were part of the curriculum work; Eric Hanson responded that curriculum documents describe classroom work and that the district plans to share expectations schoolwide so teachers understand vertically aligned content across grades.

No formal votes were taken on construction planning, tree plantings or the Hannaford donation at the meeting; the joint Oct. 5 meeting was presented as the next step for facilities planning.