Staff oppose leaving school system
TRENTON Thirty-two of the 40 teachers and staff members at Trenton Elementary School have signed a letter expressing strong opposition to a recommendation that the school withdraw from the Mount Desert Island Regional School System – AOS 91.
That recommendation was made recently by the School Evaluation Options Committee (SEOC), a group of citizens appointed by the Board of Selectmen in 2019 to explore ways to reduce school spending and, thus, ease the tax burden on Trenton property owners. The SEOC concluded that the cost of being part of the school system, including financial support for central office administrative functions, is greater than the benefits that Trenton receives from that affiliation.
Students in the Mount Desert Island Regional School System will return to the classrooms next Tuesday, Jan. 19, following two weeks of remote-only learning prompted by a local upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
Lessons learned in a pandemic year January 6, 2021 on News
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND It started out like any other year, but 2020 took a big turn for what some would consider the worst year in recent history.
While a global pandemic slowed our lives to a mere tick tock of the clock, the killing of a Black man in Minneapolis incited protests, and more people turned out to vote than in any other presidential election.
Many watched the world go by from their living rooms or chose to binge watch whatever their favorite streaming platform offered. Others took up hobbies like baking bread or cooking what could no longer be ordered from their favorite restaurant.
Budget passed, middle school question voted on at Trenton Town Meeting
TRENTON The town held its annual meeting in late Dec. at the Trenton Fire Station and via Zoom, following an election of selectmen and School Committee members.
During the meeting, which was moderated by Selectman John Bennett, the town voted to approve its fiscal year 2021-22 municipal budget of $915,000. This is in addition to the $4,321,885 school budget that was approved by voters at a special town meeting in October.
The increase in the municipal budget is 2 percent, according to Board of Selectmen Chairman Fred Ehrlenbach. That does not include the county tax assessment, which increased to $153,330, according to Town Clerk Carol Walsh
Group urges Trenton to leave AOS
TRENTON The Trenton Elementary School should withdraw from Alternative Organizational Structure 91 (AOS 91), according to the School Evaluation Options Committee (SEOC), which made the recommendation to the Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 29 meeting.
Additionally, the committee requested that “the Trenton School Board prepare a letter expressing a vote of no confidence with regard to Dr. Marc Gousse, superintendent [of] AOS 91,” according to a statement read by SEOC Chairwoman Susan Sargent.
On Wednesday, Gousse said that his performance is evaluated annually, including by school board members, and that, “I would stand on my record the last 5 years.”