A Waldoboro woman, whose job was eliminated at the end of the 2011-12 school year, will see her position partially reinstated, after the MSAD 40/RSU 40 School Board spent more than an hour and a half in executive session Aug. 16.
During the public comment period at the start of the meeting, Steve Cartwright made an emotional plea on his wife’s behalf. He said Kathy Cartwright had worked for the district for 20 years, providing occupational therapy services to students.
“She helped scores of kids cope with challenges, in school and life in general,” he wrote in a letter submitted to the board prior to the meeting.
“Some students say they would not have stayed in school, or graduated, had it not been for the therapy they received from Kathy Cartwright. MSAD 40 happens to have a high number of needy children with both physical and emotional disabilities,” he wrote.
The board also received a letter from a Warren family, in support of Kathy Cartwright’s reinstatement.
“We first met Kathy when our son was in second grade at the Warren Community School,” the letter states. “After he was diagnosed with ADHD, her therapy helped him become more focused in the classroom.”
Steve Cartwright said his wife was only a few months short of retirement when she received the letter saying her full-time position had been eliminated and she might be able to continue on a part-time basis without benefits.
“There was no acknowledgment of her exemplary job performance, no recognition for all those years she has worked on behalf of kids,” he told the board.
At the end of the lengthy executive session, the board voted on a motion to create a 3/5 occupational therapy position and pro-rate the benefits accordingly, with the salary to be negotiated with the special education director and Supt. Susan Pratt.
Voting in opposition to the motion were board members Mary Genthner of Friendship and Tod Brown of Warren. Vice chairman Dennis Wooster, of Warren, abstained.
The next meeting of the MSAD 40/RUS 40 School Board is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 6 at the Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro. For more information, call the district’s central office at 785-2277.
