The Jefferson School Committee decided to stick with its decision to not have a guidance counselor at their meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
During their February meeting, members voted to cut the position because it had been told that the grant that was funding the position would not be available after March 31.
In an update at the March 11 meeting, AOS 93 Superintendent Todd Sanders informed the committee that the grant funding would now go through Dec. 31.
With the new information, school committee Chair Danielle Bernier called for a motion to reinstate the guidance counselor, but didn’t receive a second.
“Yeah, it’s hard, you know. Is the money going to stay? Is it not going to stay? When you get back and forth that way, it’s really hard to kind of make that decision,” Bernier said.
Audience members expressed opposition to the board’s decision not to reinstate the position.
Jefferson Village School’s substitute nurse Maggie Gallione urged the committee to rethink the matter and emphasized the importance of a school guidance counselor. Gallione said she had seen firsthand the effects of not having someone to turn to for these students and if the funds were available, they should reinstate the position.
Resident Caroline Bond agreed with Gallione. As a retired educator, Bond said she has seen the positive effects a school counselor has on students and the board should reconsider their decision in not reinstating one.
“The idea that it takes a village to raise our children, if the money is there for us to use to have a guidance counselor is huge,” Bond said.
In other business, the committee voted to approve for displaced Nobleboro Central School staff to hold summer school at Jefferson Village School as NCS undergoes mold remediation in the original section of its building.
The section of the building affected by mold, which includes the classrooms for kindergarten through second grade, the Title 1 literacy program, special services, guidance, the nurse’s office, and the school’s main office, would remain closed until a “full remediation, removal of problematic items/fixtures, and cleaning of the area is completed,” according to a March 5 letter Principal Tom Landberg and Sanders.
NCS students had a remote learning day on Friday, March 6 for school officials to reconfigure the building layout. Remote learning was extended through Monday, March 9 as building contractors ensured classrooms, learning spaces, and common areas were ready for students to return.
The main office and the nurse’s office were relocated to the library, and one of the building’s wings was restructured to house kindergarten through second grade, in addition to third grade, Landberg and Sanders said in a letter sent Friday, March 6. The Title 1 literacy program, a special services classroom, social work services, and speech services have been relocated to the former music room, stage, and practice area. The guidance office, art, and music will be housed in the art room. Fourth grade has been moved to the hallway that contains grades five and six.
The biggest change is the relocation of seventh and eighth grade to the Kieve campus in Nobleboro. Students will continue to arrive at NCS at 7:50 a.m. and will be transported to Kieve in the morning. The students will return to NCS in the afternoon to participate in special classes such as art, music, physical education, social emotional learning, library, and technology.
The Jefferson School Committee said there is already Nobleboro staff is prepped for the change in location and JVS has the space to accommodate the extra students.
For more information, go to aos93.org.
