A letter signed by officials from School Administrative District 6 and the president of the Saco Valley Teachers’ Association was sent to the families of children in the district and town officials on Oct. 28 in an effort to move past allegations that Superintendent Frank Sherburne had been placed on paid administrative leave for text-messaging students.
In September, Sherburne began posting his weekly appointments schedule online to combat rumors that have been circulating in the district this past year, and to allay speculation about him being placed on leave.
On Oct. 23, Charlotte Dufresne, chairwoman of the SAD 6 Board of Directors, wrote in a letter to residents that the board’s legal counsel, Pierce Atwood of Portland, conducted “a thorough and comprehensive” investigation this summer into the allegations and that Sherburne had been cleared of having improper communications with a student.
Dufresne indicated in the Oct. 23 letter that the investigation came at “a significant expense to the taxpayers of the district.”
Dufresne has refused to provide cost details to the Lakes Region Weekly.
“If Sherburne had engaged in any misconduct, the board would have taken immediate and significant action,” she wrote.
Because the investigative report relates exclusively to the “personal history, general character or conduct” of a district employee, the district could not release the report to the public, according to Dufresne.
Calls made to district officials since Sherburne began posting his schedule online last month also were not returned.
Eric Curtis, president of the Saco Valley Teachers’ Association, denied a request by the Lakes Region Weekly earlier this week to share the letter the union sent to the school board in May, which claims that Sherburne had improper communications with a student, according to Curtis.
“We sent it [the letter] to the school board asking them to look into it, as they would look into [allegations regarding] any teacher,” Curtis said.
“It was not released publicly by me, as SVTA’s president,” he said, referring to published reports of the union’s allegations.
“When claims and investigations occur, the district does them professionally,” Dufresne’s letter sent on Monday states. “The district cannot release information about its employees or anything that is student-specific or identifiable. It would be a violation of the laws.”
“The allegations made by the SVTA were untrue and the superintendent did not act in a manner that was inappropriate with any student,” Dufresne wrote.
Doing his job
According to Dufresne’s Oct. 23 letter, it is the superintendent’s job to ensure all of the district’s employees are doing what is expected and that they are moving in the direction of the district.
The allegations made by the teachers association “commonly occurs with unions,” Dusfresne claimed in that same letter.
“MSAD 6 is in the midst of significant change, and resistance to change is common,” she also wrote, referring to the superintendent leading an overhaul of the curriculum and adoption of Common Core standards.
“A reaction from the union is not uncommon when change occurs,” she added.
Reached Friday, Curtis said he did not agree with Dufresne’s characterization of the situation.
“To be honest, I don’t know what she was referring to because as a teachers association, we’ve never been concerned with any changes that have taken place,” Curtis said. “With any change, people will experience difficulties and confusion, but no one has come out and said they were upset by them. We’ve never shared any concerns with the district about the direction they are going.”
Dufresne also wrote that the allegations in the SVTA letter failed to report that, “Superintendent Sherburne was forced to become involved with the student because the family came directly to him for support,” pointing out the teachers association had no direct involvement in the conversations between Sherburne and the student.
According to Dufresne, the family involved was fully aware of the conversations, and they were “highly satisfied and relieved that someone in the district had finally provided assistance to them.”
“As far as the teachers union,” Curtis said this week, “we brought our concern to the school board and they did their part to investigate and came to their decision.”
Joint effort
The letter sent out Monday was a “collaborative effort to put an end to the issues that have embroiled the district over the past week,” the letter reads. “We all understand that the situation has not served the community well, and more important, it has not benefited our students. We are hopeful that we can put this behind us and move forward.”
Curtis, Dufresne, Sherburne and Debra Silver, MSAD 6 support staff president, wrote collaboratively in their letter that the board of directors acknowledges the hard work of its teachers and is grateful that they have made the effort to create change and build better learning experiences for the students.
“We are focused on resolving this, putting it behind us, and working together to make Bonny Eagle the best school district in the state,” the letter reads. “We have a great deal to be proud of, and by moving forward and working together, we believe Bonny Eagle pride will continue to grow.”
CLARIFICATION
A playground that was built two weeks ago on Johnson Field in Standish by community volunteers, the Johnson Field Playground Committee and the Standish Recreation Committee was estimated by Recreation Director Linda Brooks to cost $54,832. The town received a $27,966 grant from the Maine Land and Water Conservation Fund, which required a 50 percent match from the town. Committee members raised an additional $9,000 through fundraisers and received a $5,000 grant from the Narragansett Number One Foundation for the 50-by-80-square foot playground that includes a multi-purpose play structure, swings and a climber. In-kind donations included man-hours and equipment use by Standish Public Works. Many local businesses also donated to the effort, including F.R. Carroll who donated the concrete.
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