By MATT KIERNAN
Staff Writer | Journal Tribune
KENNEBUNK — Thornton Academy’s headmaster is asking the Regional School Unit 21 school board to respect the contract set forth to allow Arundel students to only attend Thornton Academy Middle School.The RSU 21 school board sent a letter to the TAMS board of trustees last week asking them to allow 15 Arundel students to attend the Middle School of the Kennebunks – against a contract that states they cannot.
“The contract said it. The arbitrator confirmed it. The community vote maintained it,” wrote Carl Stasio, headmaster of TAMS, in a statement released Monday.
Some parents requested the RSU 21 school board send the letter at their Aug. 15 meeting, reasoning that their children should have the best education available.
“We’re ignoring these families, we’re ignoring these students, we’re choosing to do this, and I think that should be a matter of public record,” said Pam Wuerthner, an Arundel parent, at the meeting.
Wuerthner added that she knows the contract binds the students to TAMS, but that an exception should be made for those who wish to leave.
Arundel middle school students are currently only allowed to attend TAMS under a contract between the school and RSU 21.
The transfer of 15 students would cost the district $350,000 in tuition fees, according to Stasio.
“If you take 45 kids out of the student population, it would start to not even look like a school,” said Stasio in an interview Monday about a hypothetical situation where more children would leave the school.
According to Stasio, the school’s population is approximately 160 students.
Besides the contract, a judge ruled last year that RSU 21 administrators can’t solicit students to transfer to other schools. RSU 21 Superintendent of Schools Andrew Dolloff said that sending the letter wouldn’t be in violation of the ruling.
Also, a referendum was held in May in which the majority of voters cast ballots against buying out the contract for $1.2 million.
Some RSU 21 school board members questioned if MSK would be able to accommodate a large number of students from Arundel even if TAMS allowed them to transfer.
Dolloff said MSK could take 15 additional Arundel students without requiring an increase in staff.
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"Since we opened, parents have been overwhelmingly supportive".... and they are the only ones we listen to. The other 22% should ignore that fact that RSU21 ranks in the top 10% in state assesments and TAMS is at or below state Average.
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ReplyDeleteI am not sure what Flammable is suposed to mean, but did anyone read the editorial in the YCCC today? How can so many parents be so dedicated to a school that performs so poorly on state tests? Yes I know tests are not everything, but if they are the same tests for all, then it means they are not doing very well. How can parents be blamed for wanting their child to attend a school who performs much much much better? Contract or not, who could possibley blame them? More importantly, why would parents defend the school as much as they do? What is it that they think is so much better? If it is the principle of the contract, then I woud expect these parents respect the will of the voters who voted to form RSU21.
ReplyDeleteThe reason TAMS scores are so low is that the students came from ML Day.
ReplyDeleteThe 12:30 poster needs to check out MlDay's scores. You can't use them as an excuse.
ReplyDeleteIf those scores are not allowed to be used as an *excuse* as you posted, then maybe, just maybe RSU 21 will start teaching so that grade 6 can preform on test scores.
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