January 27, 2026
To: RSU #74 Board of Directors
From: Mark Campbell, Superintendent of Schools
Re: Board Report for February 4, 2026
So that was a snowstorm! Moved my fair share of the snow that fell. Thankfully it was light and fluffy! I offered and went to Solon Tuesday morning to do a final clean up around the entryways taking a little pity on the maintenance crew! Even getting to Solon Elementary shortly after 4:30, I was greeted at the back door by Cindy who was already preparing breakfasts and lunches for the day!
Sickness is striking different pockets of our buildings. It has been a combination of colds, flu and in some cases COVID. Staff have been great at filling in for each other as finding substitutes to cover students and classrooms has been challenging. We hired many of our subs last month to fill full-time vacancies.
I have all budgets at this time and have been sitting with administrators to review the lines. As I suspected with this large of a project with one spreadsheet communicating to multiple others, we have found a few glitches. As these are worked out, I am seeing a budget with a relatively small increase. Two factors to keep in mind include that salary numbers are not finalized for a number of our employees and the insurance increase will not be known for quite a while. I also have not received the EDU 279 from the Department of Education yet so I do not know what our subsidy is looking like.
Committee Meetings:
The Policy Committee met on Wednesday, January 15. Our agenda included the one policy that did not get completed at our meeting in November and a review of the Mission Statement as well as the Strategic Plan for RSU 74. You will be asked to vote on the revised policy and to engage in a discussion as to how if necessary to review and revise the Mission Statement. The Strategic Plan should be reviewed regardless if changes are made to the Mission Statement or not.
As well, on January 15, the Buildings and Grounds committee met at the elementary school in Norridgewock to permit the committee to hear a presentation from Affinity Lighting on the lighting proposal put together to replace all lighting fixtures in all 5 buildings. We definitely saw the many positive attributes of their lighting system which definitely would have the potential to save the district money through the use of LED lights and the way we can control the system.
Lastly, the Association did send a request to sit and negotiate with the RSU 74 Board Negotiation Committee. The first meeting will be occurring Wednesday, January 28. The purpose of this meeting is to set the ground rules and determine dates for future negotiation sessions. We will have an executive session to discuss this at the Board meeting so the committee can get a sense of where the full Board wants to go.
The Agenda is as follows
Presentation:
No presentations
Appointments:
Tori MacDonald has been helping with this team for years. The person who was in the position has indicated that they are not returning.
Resignations: None
Nominations: None
Action Items:
Item 6 - I provided you with a proposal from Affinity Lighting to completely redo the lights in all 5 buildings. I have been expecting paperwork from the law firm, but at this time I do not have it as I believe the wording will have to be very specific on the motion to move forward if that is the desire of the Board. As I shared earlier in this report, we were able to see first hand what this project will look like and how teachers will be able to control the lights based on their needs as well as administration based on the needs of each light unit over a given day. I am sure colleagues who were there can attest to the effectiveness of this system in providing us opportunities to save money from the LED lights themselves and depending on how we use the lights. Administration will make major decisions on how lights in each area will be used.
Item 7 - We had 3 bid responses to our garbage RFP. Chris and I are recommending that the Board accept the bid from Somerset Disposal. Their bid was the low bid for the three year span.
Item 8 - We had 3 bid responses to our snow removal RFP. I am stepping out of my normal stance on these bids. I am not recommending the low bid. In this case, we are recommending our current snow removal company, Partridge and Kids. While Partridge and Kids are not the lowest bidder, there are other factors I ask you to consider. The factors that are important to remember are:
They are local within a mile of our two largest schools and respond in a very timely manner to our needs during a storm beyond the normal needs of cleaning up after a snowstorm.
When I (we) needed help putting the 5,000 gallon fuel tank in place at CCS, I didn’t hesitate to call for assistance. Partridge and Kids were there with equipment and manpower and in the end did not submit a bill for their personnel time or for the equipment.
Again we needed 10 yards of wood chips brought in, I called and Partridge and Kids hauled in a dump truck load without charging the district for the use of their truck and manpower.
The owner played a significant role in discussions on CCS becoming an emergency shelter adding to the conversation with the Town to ensure the needs of community members were met while the financial interests of the district were not compromised.
Item 9 - We had 3 bid responses for our bus RFP. Chris and I are recommending that the Board accept the bid from WC Cressey and Son. They had the lowest bid. This is the company that we have purchased our last 2 new buses through and have been very happy with the Thomas product. They have assured us that a certain town will not be mispelled on the bus when delivered this time!
Item 10 - The Board is being asked to approve the 2026-2027 calendar as presented. I have worked in consultation with the sending district members of Somerset County Technical Center to ensure we remain compliant with State Statute minimizing conflicting days. I have also shared this with the Association leadership and answered their one question around the 2 days of school the Week of December 21. The answer was, it keeps us compliant with SCTC and sending districts who are in session those same two days.
Item 11- The Policy Committee is putting a new version of Policy BBBAA - Student Representation to the School Board. The new version provides a clearer, more concise policy as it eliminates much of the repetitiveness that existed in the older version.
Item 12 - We will discuss three different groups. Two, I will share my thoughts and we can wait until March 4 to make decisions. The third group, I will share additional information and allow for the whole group to discuss negotiations with teachers to guide your committee.