VANCEBORO, Maine — Jill Mason is days away from becoming a grandmother.
She soon will be taking care of daughter Breeanna’s newborn while the new mom is off to high school at Lee Academy, where she’s a junior. How Breeanna, 18, gets to and from school — which is a 94-mile round trip from her home in Vanceboro — remains to be seen. Jill Mason says her days of driving her kids to meet a school bus are over.
A population-131 border town located about 20 miles up the St. Croix River from the Washington County community of Calais, Vanceboro is tasked with meeting the educational needs of 22 students. Enrollment in its K-8 elementary school is 14. There are eight high school students, all attending high school in Lee, with Vanceboro property taxes paying each student’s $10,000 annual tuition.
Vanceboro once operated a school bus that was used to transport high school students six miles to nearby Lambert Lake, where an Unorganized Territory bus would meet them. Both buses were eliminated and now, as a cost-cutting measure, the Vanceboro students travel 22 miles to Topsfield in an eight-passenger van. There they get on another larger school bus for the remaining 25 miles to the high school in Lee.
After the driver is accounted for, the Vanceboro van has seats remaining for seven students. There are eight high school students. You do the math.
Jill Mason has six children, including three girls who attend Lee Academy. Last October, 16-year-old Adrianna decided to live in Vanceboro with her mom rather than live in Illinois with her dad. Her mother informed the Vanceboro school system that there soon would be another student heading to Lee Academy.
When Adrianna arrived, getting her girls to and from Lee Academy became, as Mason describes it, “something out of the Twilight Zone.”
Mason says she was upset when the van driver called on a schoolday morning last fall and asked which of her three girls would be staying home, as there were not enough seats that day in the van.
“I told her, ‘They’re all going to go,’” Mason said. “Since October, I’ve been putting gas in my van, getting the older kids up at 4 a.m. and out the door to Topsfield by 6:15. And then it’s back to meet the bus in Topsfield at 3:30.
Daughter Jordan, 17, is into drama and cheerleading, and daughter Adrianna, 16, plays basketball.
“When they’re doing that, I have to make the 94-mile trip to and from Lee,” their mother says. “It’s all very complicated, and I’m tired of it. They used to have a dormitory where kids involved in after-school activities could spend the night. But the town stopped paying for that. So now, if a family doesn’t have money for gas or has a mom who doesn’t like being on the road at all hours, those kids don’t do sports.”
Given that the town is unable to provide transportation for all of its high school students, Jill Mason and her husband, Sherman, were more than surprised recently to receive a letter from Vanceboro Superintendent of Schools William Dobbins, which expressed concern about Breeanna’s nine unexcused absences. In that letter, Dobbins tells the couple “the School Committee can recommend that tuition be withheld if we do not get a resolution to this matter.”
Breeanna’s physician, her mother said, since has confirmed that most of her school absences were because of appointments related to her pregnancy. The superintendent’s suggested Dec. 14 meeting between Jill and Sherman and the school committee never happened, because of scheduling conflicts.
Dobbins said the Vanceboro school system’s annual budget is approximately $300,000. Of that amount, $5,000 has been budgeted for transportation fuel costs. Use of the eight-passenger van is being donated by Lee Academy, which owns it.
Penny Grass, chairwoman of the school committee and a volunteer bus driver, sees the transportation issue as a nagging headache the town may not endure for much longer. Grass said she doesn’t accept any money to drive the eight-passenger van to and from Topsfield “because I know the town doesn’t have any.” She says she only called one time to ask if one of Jill Mason’s girls would be staying home because of a lack of seats.
Grass said the school committee has been reimbursing Jill Mason for her gasoline and that Mason was, in essence, recruited to drive as she was the only parent of a high school student who drives a van.
Grass said the school committee never has revoked tuition, which the letter to the Masons indicated as an option. “And I don’t know that we ever would,” she said.
“We are very concerned about attendance, as we’re paying that tuition whether these kids are in school or not,” Grass said. “So we adopted a policy that, if you have more than 10 unexcused absences, we meet with the parents to try to get it through their heads that these kids need to be in school.”
Grass feels that what is often lost in the debate over how to get Vanceboro’s high school students to and from school is the legal reality that the town is not obligated to provide transportation for high school students. “It’s just something we’ve always done.”
Maine Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Jim Rier verified Thursday that the municipality is not required to provide transportation for high school students.
So what happens next year, when it is expected there will be 12 high schoolers?
“We’re getting to the point financially where we can’t run a bus,” Grass said. “We don’t have a bus, and we don’t have a driver. I expect we’ll end the run and just leave it to the parents to get their kids to and from school.”
Providing transportation for high school students, says Superintendent Dobbins, has been “challenging.” Ending transportation services, he said, is “a possibility.”
“The community will look at different options,” he said. “But it could happen.”
Mr Walsh, please buy a map.
Vanceboro is NOT 20 miles up river from Calais.
Need to read it again..
I think he thinks you travel up the St. Croix River
How about home schooling or video schooling these kids. How do they handle it with island students?
I agree. What’s to gain from driving all those miles to get the children to school, and having to deal with the school authorities (“So we adopted a policy that, if you have more than 10 unexcused
absences, we meet with the parents to try to get it through their heads
that these kids need to be in school.” )? And Mrs. Mason will soon have a grandchild to care for … Home schooling does not have to be expensive and there are plenty of people out there who will be willing to help the family to get started and give them continuing support. There are also many different ways to home school, and each family believes that their way is the best. So Mrs. M., if you decide to go that route, listen to them all, then pick what seems best for you and your children. Don’t worry about “socialization”. For most children the socialization that they get at home and in their community is much better than what they get in school. Most schools in Maine will allow home school students to join in on some actitivies, use the library and attend some classes.
On islands? I suppose some have island schools; some ship their children away, and some home school.
I agree. What’s to gain from driving all those miles to get the children to school, and having to deal with the school authorities (“So we adopted a policy that, if you have more than 10 unexcused
absences, we meet with the parents to try to get it through their heads
that these kids need to be in school.” )? And Mrs. Mason will soon have a grandchild to care for … Home schooling does not have to be expensive and there are plenty of people out there who will be willing to help the family to get started and give them continuing support. There are also many different ways to home school, and each family believes that their way is the best. So Mrs. M., if you decide to go that route, listen to them all, then pick what seems best for you and your children. Don’t worry about “socialization”. For most children the socialization that they get at home and in their community is much better than what they get in school. Most schools in Maine will allow home school students to join in on some actitivies, use the library and attend some classes.
On islands? I suppose some have island schools; some ship their children away, and some home school.
The only problem with homeschooling is that the students miss out on the extra-curricular activities. For example, the girls mentioned in this article are involved in sports and drama.
That’s not true, many school district welcome homeschoolers on their sports teams and in drama especially if they’re talented.
Specific to this situation, there would still be the problem of transportation!
In some states, homeschooling students are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities; in some states they are not.
and they are in Maine.
In Maine homeschooled children can participate in co- and extracurricular at the local school.
They choose to live in the middle of nowhere. Has it occurred to them that is the price that you pay for that? Some people pick their town of residence based on where they want their kids to go to school. But fertile myrtle (I’m talking the mom/grandma for now) just expects everything to be handed her to simply because she exists and makes babies. I wonder what other “aid” she is getting from the taxpayers. Sorry, but I don’t think the world owes her and her multiple children more than it’s giving the average family.
1) It’s Vanceboro–who is going to buy/rent their house for them to move?! Sure in heck wouldn’t be me. All this talk on here doesn’t exactly sound like a welcoming or nice town to live in.
2) The house they live in was in the family and at the time she moved there it was to get into a better situation and she was a single mother so it would do. At the time there was a school in town that the children could walk to that fit their grade levels.
3) All 6 kids aren’t hers. Fertile myrtle only has 4 of her own and only 3 of which live in Maine. Now all of a sudden it is outcast to marry someone with children to combine to have “lots of kids”.
4) Do you work for the census? Who are you to judge how many kids people can have in one family?
legally they have to allow home school students to participate!
Most Island’s have small one room schools. I know Monhegan tries to hire a new teacher every 2-3 years. The reason being they said, was if the teacher is weak in one area, the new teacher would hopefully be stong in that area as no one is strong in all areas. Evidently at one time they must have had a teacher weak in math or english, ect, so they decided to trade every two years so that the students would never be weak in one area. I know a few years ago they had an amazing teacher and allowed that teacher to stay longer. I don’t know how long they kept him or her. Seems everyone agreed that teacher was #1.
Not everyone is cut out to homeschool. I initially went to college to become a teacher, during student teaching I realized that teaching wasn’t my calling. I homeschooled my son after school, and during summer vacations to catch him up as he wasn’t a scholar. Hats off to teachers. No homeschooling for me.
I would consider homeschooling.
Yup, there are options (www.k12.com) for example. Make the school system pay for that…it’s not any more than the $10,000 tuition.
k12 is a great program. I used it with my child last year and they really enjoyed it. Now they are in school and says the teachers are so boring.
I am thinking this town might not have internet………………………………………………………
I would consider moving.
home schooling is a convenient answer for the tax payers, but not every parent has the temperament or the education to be a home teacher.
bad idea for most kids.
Bad idea for some kids. Great idea for many kids.
Good point, especially for this family, apparently they couldn’t teach their kids some basic responsibility, let alone math… oh wait, they apparently did teach that kid math. 18 year old girl + 1 baby = a lifetime of handouts from the state and demanding even more.
this is so tragic. the girl might have had an abortion and then (your smugness and arrogance) could be meted on other news stories.
but instead, she and her family are dong the responsible thing, only to have to read your admonishments here in the BDN.
This young lady is 16 and has a baby? all the *more* reason she should stay in high school.
this girl is not getting any hand outs from the state she is just trying to get an education so she can provide for her child. read the article again its not about teen pregnancy but about a family being singled out they are providing transportation for all the chilren in town except her
Mrs. Mason is still receiving reimbursment from the Vanceboro School on the days she transports her children to Topsfield to meet the school bus which takes them to Lee Academy. Mrs. Mason uses her vehicle only when Vanceboro School does not transport the children to Topsfield with their van, which as of today it has been less than 12 times that Mrs. Mason has had to use her vehicle.
You took the words right off my keyboard. Home-schooling works for a lot of kids. Most that I’ve heard of progress as well or better than their traditional school counterparts. The question is whether mom/grandma is qualified to home school the daughter. She barely looks old enough to be a grandma which begs the question, when did she start making babies and did she finish high school herself?
The other alternative would be to move. It can’t imagine job opportunities are any better in Vanceboro than they are closer to civilization.
By the way, not all kids take the bus to school. In my town, a lot of kids walked, even in winter (okay not a practical solution here). My school bus was often overcrowded and we were denied access some days. So we just gave up and found ways to get to/front school ourselves, either with a parent, or another kid in our old junker cars.
they are talking about a 94 mile round trip. that’s a little out of walking range
“She soon will be taking care of daughter Breeanna’s newborn while the new mom is off to high school at Lee Academy, where she’s a junior.”
OK…..
Birth control????
Wow..
Grow up. It happens. I’m sure your past is a clean slate too right? I too was pregnant at 18, had a baby at 19.. and am now proud to say I achieved a 4 year degree in 3 Years in a successful nursing profession. Much more than many can say for themselves with no kids. I don’t think the idea of the article is to point out that she is a pregnant 18 year old… but more so that the school system is WHACK to say the least and that people in that small area of Maine have small minds and not enough to talk about without talking about others. Also, she is TRYING to get to school.. it’s not like she got pregnant and dropped out! I don’t condone teenage pregnancy, but for people to judge just shows the town and surrounding towns are full of small-minded people!!!!
~Proud family member
How is the schools system “WHACK” as you say.
Making it mandatory for every student to be in school every day? Then punishing them for not being there. Not every family can afford to make that drive to and from school 5 days/week. Therefore, making the parents responsible for getting their children to school rules out the “poor” people. Every child is entitled to an equal education! It is the school’s responsibility if they are the school that services that area. If not, they condone high school drop outs because it will just come down to the fact that families cannot afford to transport their kids everyday so they just won’t be able to go. In return Maine’s education system will lack with more people not reaching a high school diploma.
in the article it says the town is paying for her gas.
The town used to a long time ago but as of recently has not in a while
Is there some reason they can’t move?
$$$$ can you pick up n sell your house in this economy? Especially one in the boro!
You don’t live there right?
Have they even tried to sell the house?
How long was it for sale?
No I don’t live there…but they are my family and I know the town very well. “Vacationed” there many times and my mom grew up there. It is not about getting the house sold… many times it is whether people are financially stable enough to even get approved for a loan to buy a new one closer to lee. Times have changed. People that may have gotten approved for loans 10 years ago may not get re-approved to move.
HEY HEY HEY, I live in one of those surrounding towns and I’m not small-minded. I wear a size 10 hat!
Did the we pay for you to go to school and also pay for your childcare while you did?
I’m just curious since that seems to be what we are doing in a lot of cases now when children get pregnant.
Funny thing is a lot of our schools have a daycare in them.
That isn’t really funny.
Funny as in odd….
Really ? In Maine ? Maybe the BDN will do an article on how many and whichj schools provide daycare !
No, not in maine..
Yes, there are school is Maine that have a daycare for students in them, MDI is just one of them.
Nope! My family pitched in and helped and I paid for daycare when needed. In fact, I paid over $5,000 dollars in child care out of my own pocket in 2011. My husband worked full time and so did most of my family. It’s pretty sad that people see teenage pregnancy and automatically assume negative things about it! I was also the result of a teenage pregnancy. Did pretty good EH?! …and my parents are BOTH college graduates. AND I RODE A PUBLIC SCHOOL BUS TO AND FROM SCHOOL! Sorry for taking “THE HANDOUT” as you would call it…as well as almost every other kid in school! Thank god there are 49 other states that think riding a school bus is not a handout and I’m proud to live in one that doesn’t!
Congrats to you and your family for doing the right thing and as a side that may actually be why you and your family are a success. My only problem with any of the forms of welfare given for bad choices is that it tends to teach people that there are no consequences for their poor choices.
As for the “public bus” issue. It is only not a handout if the community you are in as a group wishes to pay for one as a group. When they have chosen not to, insisting that YOU require something special is a handout. All of this is a community choice and in the case of this woman it appears she is in the wrong community.
I don’t even feel that community must have a school if they don’t want one. If you live there and have children and you don’t like it you can move or not. That is freedom.
Attempting to force a community to serve the special needs of a select few is where you all go wrong. There are so many select few and so many special issues that there is no way the community can be all things to all people and the budget gets out of wack.
You can not keep taking from people who have nothing left to give. I did give a way to fix this in another post though. Give up the Super of schools that you do not need for such a small community and use what that person was making as salary to pay for transport.
Too easy.
The problem with this whole thing is that people forget it is not just Jill’s family. The title of the article says famILIES. They just happened to highlight her family because she has 3 high schoolers out of the 12. This affects every one of the high schoolers there. If it is Lee’s van they are loaning to transport the kids it should not be Jill’s family to always keep someone home at the cost of their education because there aren’t any more seats on the van. 1) no where in the article did it claim she was on welfare and 2) even if she was, you CANNOT tell me that she would be the only one getting some kind of aid from the state of Maine.. that is a POOR community and they all pretty much are!
The type of Aid or support really isn’t the issue. The issue is whether or not the town is required to provide something a very small minority of the town may need. I believe the majority of that town should be able to make that decision on their own and let the town members who are not happy with it vote with their feet. Not all towns can provide all services and if yours does not you must either accept it or move.
these children are only asking for what every other child in this town gets they are not asking any of the other parents in this town to provide transportation only this family
First of all, I commend you. I was also pregnant at 18 and had my first son at 19. Not once did it cross my mind or my now husband’s mind to take any handouts from anyone. We struggled, but we both put ourselves through college (paid for by us). He worked days and I worked nights, we rented a small 1-bedroom house for several years until we could get on our feet, and now we are living just fine. Our sons are grown now.
That being said, this generation does seem to baffle me. It does seem that these kids are thinking it is acceptable to get pregnant and they automatically assume the government (we the taxpayers) are going to flip their medical bills, food bills, housing bills, etc. and it annoys the heck out of me considering that there are those of us who did it all on our own, with pride.
My husband and I always joke that the hospital had a lien on our first son for 8 years because it took us that long to pay off the $13,000 in medical bills we incurred.
You were right on about the public transportation to school. Would these people rather have her drop out of high school? Then I’m even more sure she’d be another one for us to support. Hopefully she graduates and makes something of herself so she can raise this child with pride, knowing that SHE (and hopefully the father, if involved) did it herself.
thank you for your support of Planned Parenthood.
Actually, it was support of responsibility, not trying to have a kid before you are out of high school….
exactly. and some of the readers want these same parents to home school.
YES! to JonathanKlondowski and SingleTrackGirl. Let’s do the math, Breeanna:
If the town is not obligated to provide transportation, then you or your family are.
If you chose to have a child, then you hopefully did so knowing what it would cost.
If you’re old enough and adult enough and financially secure enough to make that choice for yourself, then you are old enough and adult enough and financially secure enough to buy yourself a vehicle and get your own driving-age self to school.
If you can’t afford both, then you essentially chose parenthood over education. The government is mandated to provide access to educational opportunity, but as an adult you must choose to take advantage of that opportunity.
If you couldn’t afford to get yourself to school to begin with, then you likely can’t afford a baby either, but hindsight is 20/20, as they say.
If your family wants to pitch in and help you have your cake and eat it too (lucky girl), then they should take responsibility for that choice and find a way to get you to school, or get busy homeschooling.
My father was on his own from the age of 15, through no fault of his own. (No-one ever promised that LIFE IS FAIR.) He worked, supported himself entirely, and went to highschool, without expecting anyone to step in and make it easier. He understood that the world is not going to come to your doorstep and offer you a free ride. I wish it was as obvious to everyone.
Yep, bad decisions that others should pay for. Too bad you will get hammered by the “caring” fools that post here.
At one time when we actually had school systems, schools were set up to serve the community. Now that the Department of education has succeeded in modernizing and mainstreaming the school system it seem that the community exists to serve the school with the students paying the price. There comes a time when the current concept needs to be simply thrown out with the dish water and the return to the community based school where Maine students not only passed the curriculum but excelled and then went on to become leaders in the communities throughout the country wherever they finally settled.
Agree
Well said! I couldn’t agree with you more. The schools are here to educate and serve students and families.
Agreed. I think that online learning would be a great choice in this situation. There is so much out there on line that actually is great for teaching. Not to plug but things like the Khan Academy and other sites are awesome. I go there every once in a while. She would still be able to attend extracurricular activies at the closest school system. Fiscally it’s a win-win as well. Much cheaper than bussing or driving 100 miles round trip.
A zillion comments here and I haven’t found out what the criteria is for transporting students. Is it a town or county or school district prerogative? Or a state law?
In most instances it is a a vote of the local town to transport. It is a local control issue. The towns may vote to transport and the buses are paid for by the municipality. Students generally allowed to go to any school that they desire but the town is only obligated to pay no more than the tuition rate which has been accepted by the town officials. If the tuition rate is higher for an optional school then the parents or student are obligated to pay the remainder. Transportation is a personal issue if the town votes not to transport to the optional school. A town is under no legal obligation to provide any transportation for high school age students but are obligated to provide for elementary school are required to provide transportation but they are not obligated to travel on non public roads & ways.
Additional: If a town has made any type of commitment to transport or contracted to transport, the provider, regardless of who it is, is required to transport ALL students. Any action which fails to provide for all within the town would most likely be considered to be discriminatory and therefore an unlawful act. In the story I believe that the mother was asked who would be staying home because there was no room on the bus. That would be considered discriminatory. The town is mandated by law in this instance. ALL or none. There may be grants available to help the town in this quandary but the Selectmen must pursue them to get help.
I am so glad that someone actual read this article and realized teen pregnancy is not the issue discrimination is what this is all about. I do live in vanceboro and at this point am ashamed of the behavior of the people of this community. We need to get ALL these children to school not just a chosen few
They should be running a bus, even a minibus would do. If state law mandates school attendance, they should be responsible for getting students to and from.
It is incredibly unreasonable to ask parents to do that, there are people who work 9-5 jobs and people who are too poor to afford even a junker.
As for the woman missing school due to doctors appointments, the school department has no business interfering with bona fide absences due to medical reasons. If she were just plain skipping, then absolutely, kick her out, but thats just not cool.
Well put.
So, the town has no money and the choice is providing an education or a ride and you vote for a ride? How about paying teachers, buying instructional supplies or providing for the education of kids rather than the transport of them? Unless you want to raise taxes for education, which I don’t think the population is willing to do, then it’s a zero sum game.
When did Maine require that towns provide transportation to school?
I grew up in a small city where there’s both public and private (catholic) schools, k-12 and about equal in attendance. The only students bussed were tuition “out of town” kids. My folks moved to town from “out of town” and initially got a house because it was a close walking distance to both elementary and junior high while a longer walkto the high school.
Proximity to school was a consideration when I got my first house. We had a choice of many towns. Decided not to move to a town that bussed the kids.
Miss my girls up there! River Trip!!! This summer!
Yes, rule number 1) stay on topic. I believe the topic here is that there are high school minors that are unable to get to school everyday due to a transportation issue. Like the previous posts that bring up their OPINION of teenage pregnancy etc… ???
I totally agree with you this is about getting these kids too school. As amember of this community I am embaressed to say I even live there
…..
In a word “Move”. 94 miles round trip at nearly 4 dollars a gallon up there? You would save money moving to Lee.
Wow! How many hours a day are these kids spending going to and from school? There’s not another high school that is closer?
No, this is THE high school… If you’re not familiar with Vanceboro, you can walk from one border of town to the other in 10 minutes. =)
Even when you exclude foreign dorm students, Lee Academy serves a huge geographic area. It’s very different from most high schools in Maine.
Calais is only 29 miles and are allowed to go thru Canada with the kids and back into calais.
They would travel less time and better education. and the best part the transportation could be paid for thru the savings in tuition.
The road to Calais through Canada is a bit more than 29 miles, and it’s not really the best maintained road. It still takes around 40 minutes to get to Calais that way and I imagine a bus would take longer.
-former Vanceboro resident
move the family to Lee, rent your house out to pay rent in Lee
that sounds easy……so many people are looking to rent in Vanceboro!
lol.
But than they would half to clam all that money as income.
Why do people feel they are entitled to EVERYTHING! Just because she chooses to live in the middle of nowhere and she CHOOSES to have six children. She also chose to stay home with her new granddaughter! Her choices do NOT make it the problem of the school district or the other tax payers that live in that district!!!! Take some responsibility people!!
How very mean-spirited.
must have a high schooler that gets a seat on the bus or a kid w no problems getting to school. Would be a whole new story if it was your kid.
no I am not mean spirited. I am a mother of five children. Ages 3 to 22. I have had to make a lot of sacrifices for my children. I work 6 days a week for example. My husband and I do not ask anyone for anything. We provide for what WE produced!
Does the community you live in provide transportation to high school?
my community proudly provides transportation for pre-school-high school =)
Yes they do. In our district there are no children that live 37 miles from the school.
since you live in corinth there are children who travel over 30 miles to school each day children from the back side of stetson
If Maine’s wrongheaded consolidation efforts continue, there may well be children who find themselves “37 miles away” or more. Money inevitably flows from the classroom and into bussing…. or maybe not? Maybe that was the plan all along? …to shift transportation costs onto parents… more of whom work than during more prosperous times, but more of whom are in poverty? And to think those making these decisions enjoyed a much more generous investment by their community…. Disgusting.
Asking for your town to provide a ride for your children to school is “not asking for anything”. This is America. Education is provided to all our children. You are missing the point. She isn’t asking for a handout!
she was being reimbursed for her gas, thats pretty good if you ask me.
She WAS being reimbursed for her gas at first then they quit. The article doesn’t state that.
The law provides for a free and public education, but not for transportation to and from said place of education. Requiring the district to pay for transportation costs is unconstitutional at best.
this is not “their” school. This is a school they choose to send their daughter to. Pick a school closer to home that provides transportation or one that you can easily provide transportation to….this is not an entitlement
really valgal? Like which school would you be talking about that is SOOOOO much closer?
McAdam, NB
illegal at this point. next suggestion?
umm it is the closest school so now what do u have to say
There is a high school in McAdam, NB, just 6 miles away. Can anyone say “exchange student?”
You can not go to McAdam HS in Vanceboro unless you are part canadian the state will not pay. They used to but will no longer. So right now Lee Academy is the closest and only school that the town of vanceboro will pay for our children to attend. We do not have the option to go 6 miles to the closest school we have to take the 96 mile round trip to get our kids to school.
McAdam HS . . . 6 miles away.
Education is provided by law, but transportation isn’t. This is what she is asking for.
…and the question is do your children make it to school every day by public transportation provided by their schools?
No they do not go to school on transportation provided by our district. We take them and pick them up from school. We chose to move closer to the school so that our children would have every opportunity to play sports, and after school help etc. I am just saying that sometimes if people looked INTO THEMSELVES instead of asking someone else to take care of it, then maybe things would be better for everyone. If her children live 37 miles from the school then at some point she had to have known that this would be a problem.
Great for you and your children that you were able to do that. I live 5 minutes from one of my child’s schools but school lets out at 3:20 and I get out of work at 5:00 pm. Should I be “looking into myself” for why my child has to ride the bus while I am out providing for them? Sacrifices for children are different for everyone. She is making the sacrifice to transport them to sports and other activities so they can be involved when she could easily tell them no because they live too far away. Maybe moving closer is not financially an option for the family. I find your comments to be very judgemental as not everyone has the same advantages that you and your family obviously have and that does not make them bad parents, looking for handouts or anything else. She is trying to be sure her children have an education and opportunities. I don’t feel like she should be faulted for that, especially when this is obviously a community issue, not just hers.
Well that’s really it, you need to be smart about these things. Of course if you are far away from the school its going to be tough, and when you live closer to town there are more benefits and higher taxes of course. This woman should find a way to move closer for her kids sake, challenging people about these things is not going to do her any good.
Do you drive your children to school or do they walk? Just asking.
Do you homeschool at entirely your own expense? ..or do your children attend public school? Do YOU provide transportation at your own expense?
These services are not the “privilege” of urban dwellers — Maine’s children are equally entitled to them, regardless of their geography, or population density.
Mean-spirited or not, it is the essence of every tax debate — “I don’t want to pay for someone else’s children” — that argument never goes away. When paired with simplistic judgementalism; judging where a fellow citizen lives (in a legitimate community that is part of our State) or how many children they have, or where they work; raising those children or working outside the home… Yeah, then it becomes WICKED “mean spirited”.
If you think it’s mean spirited then you are welcome I’m sure to provide them with a bus and all that involves and a driver. People are broke and people are real tired of supporting other peoples kids when they can’t afford medicine for themselves because they are being taxed to death in the name of other peoples kids.
I remember my taxes going up to provide computers and internet services so it seems to me in this day of techno education all these folks need is a computer. People are getting college education on line so these kids can too. It’s called virtual classrooms.
So how many miles are too many for the town to fund? Who decides? School Transportation is a basic service.
I still say declining to provide transportation to the available school is mean- spirited. I don’t like paying taxes any more than anyone else and school taxes in my town are the largest part of the tab. I personally think school systems could save tons of taxpayer money by not dragging kids across the state for sporting events….could you imagine the outcry if that were contemplated in most Maine communities? Getting kids to and from school however is not a frill–its basic. And I do not, nor have I ever, had a child in a Maine school system.
Since you have stated that you do no, nor have you ever, had a child in the Maine school system, perhaps you should stay on the sidelines of this argument as you have absolutely no actual, first hand knowledge of the situation faced by parents or the school system. Your arguments are just that, arguments, not founded in logic or even common sense. Remember what Mark Twain said about keeping your mouth shut so as to not prove the obvious.
I pay property taxes and because this is an issue that pertains to taxpayer dollars, I am as qualified to voice my view as anyone else. I expect that any one of us who examined our tax bills would see what I see—that most of our municipal tax dollars to go education. Providing school transportation is a basic service.
Why are people “tired” of providing what their own parents provided for them? When are they going to be “tired” of throwing money at corporations in hopes of “scoring” low-wage jobs that must be subsidized by welfare?
When you do your tax return do you notice the presidential campagin donation? It says ‘this will not change your tax return amount”. Have you ever asked yourself, well wheres the money coming from if they aren’t taking it from me?
What do you mean, mean spirited. It was an honest reply to a very big problem here in Maine and the USA! People like them are consistently wanting other people to pay their way. Must be nice if she can stay home and watch a grand baby, and not work to help pay her way. totally agree with Jen C
Staying home with 6 kids is work, unpaid work at that. Staying home with an infant grandchild is work, especially to keep the mother on track to graduate.
Point taken on the computer link with school. It’s going to come to that and these kids might as well be the guinea pigs for it.
ALL taxpayer conflicts boil down to, “I don’t want to pay for _____!” …as if the rest of us are all “islands” who NEVER touch a dime of public money. We ALL use public services, and, interestingly, the middle class and wealthy more than the poor. The expectation that everyone and the dog in a given family is supposed to go out to work for “Pillage Inc.” has given us a population with a HIGH workforce participation rate relative to the ’50s and ’60s — with MUCH higher poverty! …and who is supposed to care for our children? ..an afterthought. Even economists label those who care for our children and elderly, “low productivity workers”. Depraved.
115+ people don’t think it is mean-spirited, they think it is a logical, albeit blunt & obvious observation. If you live in the middle of nowhere, there are some pros, and some cons. Transportation is a con.
Maine is a sparsely-populated, rural state. Still, every child deserves basic educational services. Those of us who enjoyed such support of our own communities, however rural, when we were children are obligated to “pay it forward” . “If you live in the middle of nowhere”….. It isn’t called “nowhere”; it’s Vanceboro. A community who collects taxes, then refuses to provide services.
Well that is a totally separate issue, alot of property taxes aren’t being paid, therefore services can’t be provided.
If that is, indeed the case, then it is up to Vanceboro, with the assistance of the State of Maine to address that “totally separate issue”, and ensure that children continue to be served.
Rural communities in Maine used to be more populated and there used to be a lot more little schools. But those days are gone and the little towns are drying up while people have moved away to larger cities since there are no real jobs in so many small towns now that the forest products industry in Maine has been stifled by Environmental over-regulation, outrageous energy costs (thank you liberals), and unions who destroyed their own mills with strike and demand. The small towns have major issues collecting enough taxes for many reasons, the poor economy being one of them (thank-you housing collapse caused by over-lending forced by liberals). So to expect Vanceboro to drive one kid halfway across the state for the sort of cost that it incurs via gas, driver, etc… is totally unrealistic. If I were that woman I would say “Wow, I probably need to move to a place that provides the services I need”. She could undoubtedly get a better job (or a job) in any number of larger cities in Maine anyway and send the grand daughter to daycare, like tens of thousands of other Mainers from small towns have already figured out.
It isn’t just one child. They just asked this family “Which of your children are staying home”? There are 12 children in the town. It affects more than one child. This family was just singled out to keep a child home. How do you choose which child’s education is more important?
What’s your solution to this problem?
Well then; The towns can prevent this ridiculous problem in the future. No one with children can live more then one mile from the closest schools; that way the children can walk, and the town or city’s can save a small fortune! If a town or city is more then one mile they should pass a law saying no one with school age children can live in these communities.
It strikes me that these people have very neatly fallen into the trap laid by a government that, for the last three decades, has encouraged and promoted increasing dependence on government for everything, including in some cases wiping your own butt. The fact that there’s no penalty for refusing to manage their own lives hasn’t helped either.
Yes, g0vernment needs to use the carrot and stick approach, not just the carrot.
Ah, yes. I was wondering when the “government is making them dependent” canard would raise its ugly head. I think this woman is trying to manage her life pretty well. Easy to talk from the Peanut Gallery.
Unlike “butt wiping”, transportation to school is a basic service that goes back generations. Rather than “dependent” the generations of parents who ensured basic educational services are the responsible ones; those who would jettison services to our children are the “shirkers” — probably couldn’t find their own butt with both hands.
Not sure why my comments aren’t posting unless I am replying to someone, so here goes. Children under 18 years of age are entitled to a free and public education. When I attended Lee Academy forever ago, kids from Vanceboro, Pleasant Point, etc, stayed in the dorms and were transported home on the weekends. Unless something has changed Lee Academy is semi-private so I am not sure why they have to pay tuition unless there is another public high school closer to them in which case they should be attending that school. My understanding of the law is that children that do not live within walking distance are required to be transported by the school system. This is especially true if one of those children are special needs. Schools have been required to pay for transportation outside of their districts if they cannot meet a student’s needs. Sounds to me like the school and the town need to get together to work out a plan. If the town is paying tuition, transportation should be a part of that cost. It is not feasible for all parents to transport their children to school every day. I live close to my kids’ schools but I also work until 5 pm in another county and cannot pick them up. They ride the school system provided bus just like everyone else who doesn’t have parents able to transport. No family should have to decide which of their children gets to go to school today.
That tuition bill exists regardless of which school the child goes to. Even elementary school children have tuition bills that the town pays per child from tax money.
And we wonder why education is so bad in the USA? Yes let not help children get to school.
Exactly! When people decide to live in the boondocks they should seriously give thought to home school. It’s quite a common & a much supported program now. That would be any logical parents choice instead of this daily battle. If she can’t transport these kids to school & is unwilling to home school, she needs to move closer to civilization. I have several other comments which I will keep to myself.
There may be a financial component that prevents them from moving closer.
She would not be able to get all the free goodies from the state then
For most of us, uprooting and moving isn’t as simple/inexpensive as posters here assume.
It isn’t the “boondocks” it’s Vanceboro — a real, live incorporated town. How “uncivilized”.
Population 147 (2000)
The 2011 Vanceboro, ME, population is 131. There are 7 people per square mile
So, what is your point? Vanceboro, ME is a TOWN, a COMMUNITY of 131 souls, with all of the obligations of such.
Perspective
Not unlike the small working islands of Maine.
The islands work — so do our more isolated communities.
Timber-It’s the boondocks- real, live or incorporated. Beautiful country but still the boondocks!! Yes Timber, I do agree, it likely is uncivilized.
Call Vanceboro what you like — its children are as entitled to an education as those in Maine’s service-center communities; on coastal islands; in the woods…. unless, of course, the area has seceded from the State… the country…..
I am pretty sure you would be pissed off if your childern were denied an education. But vanceboro can keep a school with 12 childern open. Also with a 7th grader and a 5th grader doing the same work. Thats smart right. But screw the high school kids right.
Why can’t Vanceboro keep a school with 12 children? Maybe it would be a better investment than all of that bussing. Small schools are actually quite efficient relative to the overall tax base, if not to our arbitrary obsession with “per pupil” figures.
That is just their grade school. Maybe they should consider bringing a high school teacher to town. There is plenty of room in that school.
im pretty sure u wre entitle to an education. Just saying
Shouldn’t the baby’s father give the girla ride to school?
She lives in Vanceboro — a perfectly legitimate community in which she pays taxes, and, last I checked, part of Maine! Children are “entitled” to an education, regardless of whether or not you “approve” of parents’ choices. Maine is a sparsely-populated rural state. Education is not a “problem” but a RESPONSIBILITY! Take responsibility as a citizenry, people!!
Why do YOU feel you are “entitled” to determine which children are deserving of an education? Why do you believe “other taxpayers in the district” are “entitled” to shirk their responsibility to ANY children in that community?
Education is the responsibility of our communities and the State of Maine — the right of one child to educational services is as valid, as inalienable as a thousand. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY PEOPLE!!!
So let all the children in town takee turns missing school, why should it just be her children
A remote site should have transportation to a local and non-conventional school setting. One room, two rooms. A few teachers. A budget less than $300,000 for a town this size. An effort from those involved can provide a good learning experience for the students.
A local one room schoolhouse with a talented teacher would be perfect for this situation.
The closest schools to Vanceboro is actually McAdam, NB. Have boarder towns ever looked into tuitioning their children to Canada. For $10,000 per child, they may be more than happy to take them and provide them with transportation.
Would Baileyville be closer than Lee? Wonderi f they’d have the room….
I was curious about that as well. After using Google Earth “Directions”, it appears that East Grand High School in Danforth is the closest, but not by much. Woodland and Lee Academy are each a few more miles than East Grand.
The parents have the option of sending their child to Lee or East Grand, they just all choose Lee usually.
-former Vanceboro resident
They used to do that, but the new consolidation laws make it illegal to send the kids to school in another country. It’s too bad because McAdam is a good school!
There’s a new administration in Augusta. They should contact their representitive. Seriously, 10 miles to McAdam vs 49 miles to Lee.
Oh I definitely agree with you on that! That would pretty much solve this whole problem!
Would the seeds yet to collide have dual citizenship?
From what I have herd it cost $7,000 a year to send a child to McAdam and the bus will pick them up in St.Croix.Sounds better to me.
Perhaps the town can work out a solution with Lee Academy to get a 15-passenger van.
Best of luck to Breeanna in finishing her education!
why not let all the children in town take turns not going or we could have a lotterie and draw names . Be serious, all these chilren deserve to be theated equally or that is discrimination.
People don’t want to pay higher taxes, but want all the perks that come with paying higher taxes. A school I went to decided that they couldn’t afford to run busses. So they charged families 100$ a year per child to ride the bus. Thats less than a dollar a day, less than a month of pack a day smoking, less than two video games. It’s affordable.
If the appropriations committee gave these towns 23 MILLION instead of giving it to their own companies or spouses companies, this wouldn’t be an issue. Greed/theft is so inappropriate……..
I bet these 12 students could take High School online and it would cost their towns less than 10 grand a year….just sayn’. Maybe home schooling these kids is a better answer then getting them out of bed at 4 in the morning!
Try 20 in case another moves to town! Yikes…..
It’s a little further away.
Obviously most people blogging here are not familiar with Vanceboro and its location. There are no opportunities for socialization for the children in that town. As for her moving her family, think about it. Is that really feasible and next year they will have a shortage of spaces as well. The town had a school bus and sold it about a year ago. Sounds like poor fiscally planning on the towns part. Had they not sold their bus, transportation would have been available for all.
The bus was over 10years old and need more repair then it was worth
There was enough “opportunities for socialization” for her to get pregnant.
Well she was going to school. It very well could have happened there. Kids have sex in school all the time! Becoming quite the epidemic. Especially a school like Lee that is set up like a college campus. Plenty of places to go!
I guess they better teach one of the kids to drive the van…Apparently they have plenty of time to get driven.
LOL. That’s funny. “Driven” HA HA HA HA
What the heck Breanne has been driving without a license for years
Grandma lets here grandaughter Stephane drive the volkswagon Passat to Lee Academy without a drivers license and has a newborn baby.
funny you know so much about her…except her name. Breeanna.
This is a fine example why we should not consolidate schools, and go back to the community way of thinking, where just about every town had it’s own school.
Exactly! Why not have a school. In the town? With all the resources available on the Internet now, a teacher covering all grades could act as more of a couch for students who are learning through online classes. Who says kids need to go to a gigantic high school an hour away? There are so many options these days that there must be a better solution.
The town I grew up did not have buses at all. Everyone drove or walked individually. Was it a small town, geographically, yes. But how much money would we save if instead of consolidating we went back in the other direction. Does every town need a superintendent, a principal, vice principal, 15 administrative people, and so on?
I know there are implications and laws that need to be met. There surely is a a better way.
Coach, not couch…
Hi, i live in the middle of nowhere. Now take care of me. kthnxbye.
Where did the comment go that told the rest of the story about this person, truth hurts
It was irrelevant to the story.
Now you have my curious — obviously didn’t get on to see “the rest of the story”…. :)
This blog is really pointless because people are so ignorant that they can’t put their personal opinions of ONE family aside and focus on the real issue. There are multiple families that are and are going to be facing this same situation within the next few years…. and I know Vanceboro is a low-income town overall so please try and tell us that this is economically feasible for any family. I love the high regard you people have for your town…”just drop out and finish later” ..really? Pathetic.. absolutely pathetic!
I think that when people go looking for a hand out as this person is (handout defined as getting people like us to pay for what people like her want) they open themselves up to whatever opinions and suggestions we wish to give.
Don’t like it then don’t come to us, fix your own problems. The problem with people like you is that you think we should just throw our money at the problem without any feedback on the issues.
That experiment has been tried and it failed. We are slowly going back to the old way of doing things where the community giving the money gets to attempt to correct the problem as well.
“A HANDOUT” is not a ride to school that should be legally provided by the school! Anyone ever rode a public bus? well then your getting handouts too!
If the public that is paying (US) agrees to pay then it is not a hand out. If you are looking for something special for your individual circumstance than it is.
Transportation is not the responsibility of the school.
they are throwing stone and liv in a glass house.
Assume, assume, assume.. you know what that does.. makes a ___ out of u and me!
Mrs. Mason willbe paid by the state to watch the baby and breanne and her boyfriend will e getting welfare and food stamps. Anda Mason when the scoolas paying her to transport the overflow of riders.Oh ya, on a booty callin Bangor.
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…jealous that you barely finished 5th grade (as evidenced by your grammar—or lack thereof) and these kids are finishing high school?
I was going to point that out myself, but you beat me to it! Thank you! Just proves again why these kids need to be transported to school!
I had heard that when a poster can’t attack the facts that poster will more often than not attack the spelling or grammar of the other poster.
You prove that point well.
….
Your getting nowhere but I like your persistence.
Point taken!
If they close the elementary school, the town would be required by law to transport those elementary students to school in Topsfield (and the bus could carry the high schoolers). So what if it kills the community by closing its school? So what if little children are bused an hour each way? At least it helps the state consolidate one more school. Isn’t saving a couple of dollars all that matters?
Many people live where they can find work or where they can afford to live. Our schools mandate that EVERY kid gets to have an education. It’s the law. This is the problem with centralizing the school system. Bigger has never been better. Drugs, gangs, cliques, are all prevalent everywhere but in a small school there is no place to hide. no place to shield the unsavory activities. In small towns there are no secrets, there are too many people watching. Like it or not the small community school is still the best of all the systems. They may not be able to offer all the frills but they should be able to offer all the basics, no exceptions. I’d much rather have my kid close to home and learning from a teacher who I know and who lives in my community than being on the road every day and wondering whether or not my kid will be on the evening news as the result of another traffic tragedy.
Or they could just move into a town/city where school transportation is available… just sayin.
Hmmm Monk? Are you a relative?
sounds like it!
come on man, what else is there to do up there? might as well have fun.
Sounds like they need to work extra hard at getting these kids to school so they can get some sex ed.
Sounds like they need to consolidate towns as well.
The problem is greed . Bangor wants a new gmy for 7 million and we can not even find a way to get other kids to school. I bet all the 7th and 8th grades have laptops but no internet at home.
Wow, I have read through all the comments and for some of you people to bash this family and her daughter like that just disgusts me. I do know of this family and I know the issues of this little town. So, what if Breanna is going through a teenage pregnancy, she is not the first and she won’t be the last. The issue is not that, nor is it the fact that Jill has 6 children in her care. The issue is the fact that all children need an education and if they have no way to get to school to get that education then the school system needs to get off their asses and figure out what needs to be done to change that. Ya supposedly she is being reimbursed for gas to take her children back and forth to school but why should she even have to. I know I wouldn’t want to be doing that every day, no matter how far it was to drive. Why is it just her family singled out to do this? Just because she has more kids in high school doesn’t mean that she is the lucky candidate. Some of you people need to grow up and look at the the reality of what is going on with your childrens education, not be ridiculing others because they choose to live in a small town or that sometimes they make mistakes. I truly hope that things work out for not only this family but for the community that they live in!!
….!
This reporter should have done more interviews then what he did.
He got a single view the blew it up way out there. Check with the school how many days these kids missed.
Has the town ever looked into the option of schooling in Canada? McAdam is only a few miles away…
From what I have herd it cost $7,000 a year to send a kid to McAdam and the bus will pick them up in St.Croix. Cost a lot less and closer to home.
Didn’t Bush come out with a campaign stating “No Child Left Behind”? Maybe there are grants available from the federal government that will take care of that situation. Try checking it out.
Well, you could always send them here
http://mhs.nbed.nb.ca/
They could almost walk to school. Of course, they would need passports :-)
Vanceboro should raise more taxes to support thier children
So the town doesn’t have a school to pay for, just the tuition for Lee Academy and they are saying that they aren’t going to pay for transportation. I think that if they cannot provide residents with an adequate school they should be responsible for getting these kids to the nearest facility. While it may not be a law, how many communities have bus service for kids in school. Bus service to school has become the norm and this is just plain sad. Why are we not doing everything we can to provide these students with all of the opportunities they deserve. These children are our future and to not provide them with a way to get to school is just plain wrong. Also, providing overnight accommodations as they did in the past would also seem to be a reasonable solution to some of these issues.
I think there much BIGGER problems iwth this population than transportation…
I am not one for wasting tax dollars. But the kids need to be in school. They should be bused at our expense.
So who decides how many miles are too many for the town to fund? School Transportation is a basic service.
I still say declining to provide transportation to the available school is mean- spirited. I don’t like paying taxes any more than anyone else and school taxes in my town are the largest part of the tab. I personally think school systems could save tons of taxpayer money by not dragging kids across the state for sporting events….could you imagine the outcry if that were contemplated in most Maine communities? Getting kids to and from school however is not a frill–its basic. And I do not, nor have I ever, had a child in a Maine schol system.
Wow. a lot of money going out the door for high school. Is there no other high school that is closer? If not I suppose the taxpayers will have to pay up. She has 6 kids in school, 3 in high school at 10 Ka head. I suspect most people up that way do not make that much in a year. One is going to have a baby, Mainecare for sure, a lot of money. Let us hope one of them goes on to discover a cure for cancer or alzheimer’s.
Well maybe they should not make you pay taxes that are for schooling as well as other things !!
“Vanceboro Superintendent of Schools William Dobbins”Such a small place pays for a Superintendent of Schools?
I can tell you where to get money for transportation right now. Eliminate that position and use the 80K a year this guy probably makes to pay for transportation and a few other goodies. Come on people you don’t have enough students there to justify this position.
you should do your homework before saying he makes that much,you are way off
Maybe, but I’ll bet you he makes enough to pay for the transportation and I bet you he would be missed less as well.
Please tell my that small district needs a Super?
somebody has to do the job
Why?
What does a Superintendent of a School district this small do that can not be done by a simple Principal?
like I said you should do your homework.You might not have any idea just what he does.I used to teach so I have a idea what he does
from the way you talk you don’t even live there.there is more to the story than was put in the news
I know what A superintendent does but normally one has more than what you can fit into a college classroom for students. I don’t know what one does when he has so little to watch over.
Cut the position. Problem solved.
They could probably cut a lot of positions and spend the money on transportation for all the students.
94 miles round trip to Lee Academy vs. 40 mile round trip to Calais High School? Seems like a no-brainer. Town funds the bus for anywhere 50 miles or <. Anything else is on your own.
Vanceboro-Calais High School is 60 miles one way if you stay in the U.S. 35 miles if you go through Canada.
120 or 70 miles round trip (not including border crossing time)
Thank you for clearing that up. This is not as easy a fix as I once thought. Your information would have been good to know in the article.
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uh oh. You’re being “judgemental”.
…..
Well, you’re obviously not in touch with New Age standards and morals. There are two other teenage girls in that household going to Lee Academy, a 16 and a 17 year old. I wonder if they’ll become “new moms”, too, while they’re still in high school. It might be more cost effective for Vanceboro taxpayers in the long run if the town negotiated a deal to relocate this family.
…..
Shame doesn’t work anymore. It’s old fashioned, like something in a Trollope novel.
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I was a teen mom. I had my son the summer between my junior and senior years. I finished high school, and with no state aid I might add. Not only did I finish high school, I did it while working 2 jobs to support my child. I admit, it was not in my plans, but it made me a better person. So, I am sorry that you have no patience for people like me, but get over yourself. I have a feeling that you are not perfect, and maybe even made a few wrong choices along the way. At least this girl is doing the right thing and going back to school. She will probably be judged by people like you, but I hope that she doesn’t give up and will stick to it, and get her diploma.
Glad things worked out for you.
Nice post…..congrats on making a good thing out of a difficult time and hope your family is well…..as far as the “harvickfan”, well hopefully you can overcome that problem sometime soon…..#48….
Sounds like the town needs to regroup…. Raise taxes, buy a big van, hire a driver to take them to and from school….Probably cheaper than a school bus.
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So, when the crunch comes down, why can’t the school district develop a local “private” school for these kids out of a town space / library? Hmm. The kids could essentially “home school” under a certified teacher like many kids in our state do. Cost to ship them to Lee = $120,000. Cost to homeschool = $12,000. Cost of teacher = $30,000. Do the math people… Think out of the box and give your kids a better education!
If your child goes to a private school there is usually no bus transportation so there are similarities here. If parents can do it in one situation they could go it in this one. Its not out of this world.
Ok, children under 18 years of age are entitled to a free and public education. So I would say somewhere there is a responsibility of a school system to get these kids to a school. May not be a semi-private school like Lee Academy, but my understanding of the law is that when kids are more than a certain distance from the school in their district, the school is responsible for transportation. When I went to Lee, kids from far away like Vanceboro stayed in the dorm during the week and were transported home on the weekends. Seems like the school and the town need to get together to hash this out so there isn’t any choosing who gets to go to school today!
MOVE !
The town wouldn`t have this problem if the knock-up kid didn`t bring back the 19 year old supposed father. He is a 19 yr old softmore that is costing the town $10,000 to go to Lee Academy. After this year he can`t graduate and isn`t allowed to go to high school at 20 yrs old.
What a waste of money.
Sophomore* . Perhaps your bus should have escorted you to school more often as well!
Last I checked, children under 18 years of age are entitled to a free and public education in this country. Maybe it is not the town’s responsibility to get the children to the nearest high school, but my understanding of the law is that the school is responsible for transporting children that do not live close enough to walk to school. When I attended Lee Academy forever ago, kids from Vanceboro, Pleasant Point, etc stayed in the dorms and were transported home on the weekends. I haven’t heard that Lee has changed from being semi-private so they should still receive public school funding. If Lee is the only high school in these kids’ district, then the town and the school need to get together to make a plan. Not every parent is able to transport their children every day. I live close to my children’s school, but I also work until 5 pm and cannot pick them up, they ride a school system provided bus. I wouldn’t call that not being responsible or asking for a handout. Families should not have to choose who gets to go to school today and who doesn’t.
Hadn’t seen my other post so sorry this is on here more than once. I didn’t think it had posted.
If the state requires students to go to school, they either need to provide transportation or they need to enable the parents to homeschool their children.
These girls are 16 and 17 years old. Can’t they drive the van to school themselves? The grandmother did say she would be staying home with the new baby…
Why not send the students to Calais;20 miles away. Tuition probably less than the $10k of a private school.
Every0ne in this state should feel extremely lucky that parents do not have to pay for bussing services. Many school districts in this country now charge a fee per child, per semester to cover the costs. No where in the law does it state that a “free and public education” also mean “free and public transportation to and from school.” It’s really as simple as that.
GIMME GIMME GIMME, I WANT, I WANT, I WANT, I DESERVE, I DESERVE, I DESERVE.
No it`s — I`m entitled and you owe me”
these kids could get a car and drive themselves, or mini scooters,motorcycle, a horse .
They could also hitch hike and walk some or stay in the dorms the mom doesnt look like she promotes exercise.
It isn`t like mom cares if they drive without a license. They have been driving for a better part of 2 years. Her cousin just had a kid at 18yrs old ( another dependent of the state ).
And has been driving grandma`s car back and forth to Lee until it broke down.
There is a High School, Elementary School and Pre-School just six miles away but that is in Canada (Ugh!) Too bad they couldn’t come to some sort of arrangement. MANY years ago we had students from Vanceboro!
If Vanceboro is only 20 miles from Calais, why aren’t their children going to school there instead of way over to Lee? Is this part of the new consolidation system?
It`s actually about 30 miles thru canada to calais.
And the the tuition is cheaper there.
want to provide an education for your children? live where education CAN be provided, do whats best for YOUR children , either rent or move closer to the providing school system. asking your children to ride so far each day is out of the question. You choose to have em. You need to take care of them.
Tell the lil girls to get jobs and a license and than they can drive to school like the rest of us did at 16 and 17 yrs old. Before anyone goes off, yes I was able to work go to school and participate in sports its called being motivated. I also new how to use a condom.
Why get a job when the state will give you a check, food stamps and medical
throw morals out the window
“knew”
Thanks for poining out the grammar misteak……Steak…….LOL…
And know t in pointing…..
sorry I was in a hurry, because I was WORKING and only had a minute to read and comment on the article.
What happen to the “No Child Left behind?” Yeah, the town will pay the tuition, but it doesn’t have to provide transportation to school? Vanceboro is my hometown and we have always had to travel for high school. I remember catching the bus at 6:10-6:15am and riding that to Topsfield and then having another bus take me to East Grand high. I would get home at 4pm from school. And my brother and his wife aren’t asking for any handouts!! My brother and Sister-in-law have always worked hard to provide for their family. And my sister-in-law chooses to live in Vanceboro cause she loves my brother. My brother has lived in Vanceboro for 33 years minues his deployment time for being in the National Guards; which he is due to deploy again coming right up for the third time. They own property in Vanceboro and he also works for Eastern Maine Railroad. The problem is that no other family that has high school students in town have been asked to drive their kid.
This problem could be eased if Vanceboro children could attend school in Macadam N.B.After all 2+2 =4 in Canada too.The same analysis could be made between Lubec and Campobello for instance.Is this too simple to occur?
Some towns just do not have the tax base to provide transportation. Sounds like they need to decide whether or not they all want their taxes to go up to provide this transportation.
Lee is a private school, there is no reason why there should be transportation provided. John Bapst High School provides no transportation and they have students from many miles away as well. If you pick a private school for your children to go to, it is your responsiblity to provide transportation to that schoo. If you do not have transportation pick a school closer to home.
like i asked you before. Which school closer to home would you suggest they go to? It’s not like they picked Lee bc it’s a private school. They picked it because it’s the closest to their home! DUH
Instead of commenting on this story, let me proffer some alternate solutions:
1. Include cost of transportation in the tuition the community pays and then let the community vote on this increased tuition in its next proposed school budget (easiest, but costly and may not pass with voters)
2. Try to get better deal at Woodland Jr/Sr High in Baileyville, ME which is about 4 miles closer than Lee Academy. (Playing Lee against Woodland might save some money if one of the two decide to throw in transportation just to get the tuition)
3. Think out of the box. There is a High School only 12 miles away: McAdam High School in New Brunswick. Why not pay tuition and have the kids go to school there? (Probably lots of red tape to make this happen, but in terms of best interest of the kids this is the right solution. It keeps them closer to home and avoids all safety issues with long commutes).
So how about it Dr. Dobbins, why not look into sending your kids to McAdam?
I can’t for the life of me understand why, in this day and age, that the government has not invested 2 trillion dollars and 10,000 workers to develop a matter / anti-matter teleportation system for the kid to teleport to school so that this woman in the middle of nowhere can have the comfort that she deserves while the government takes care of all her problems. Hmmph! Probably George Bush’s fault, or that loathsome LePage, what horrible haters they must be. They could have at least sent an Osprey tilt-rotter transport aircraft to ferry the kid back and forth each day!
You know how the republicans are just plain wicked….
be smart! vote republican =)
btw you do know that the democrats are the ones that are usually “for” public aid and assistance to the poor right?
When I was in highshool my bus stop was 11 mi from our home on the lake. My parents had to drive me to that bus stop everyday up until I was old enough to drive our old pick up out the camp road and catch the bus myself. Asking a school to provide transportation 94mi is ridiculous.
They need to move closer to the school or make other arrangements.
“After the driver is accounted for, the Vanceboro van has seats remaining
for seven students. There are eight high school students. You do the
math.”
Draw straws to see who has to ride on the roof.
“So what happens next year, when it is expected there will be 12 high schoolers?”
Get more straws.
Perhaps someone would know the answer to this: would it be possible to tuition the Vanceboro students to the high school in neighboring McAdam, New Brunswick? It is about 12 miles away from Vanceboro. Of course, it is in another country. Would this break state law (i.e. not having the students in a Maine school)? My sense is that it might not–after all, some U.S. citizens students attend high school abroad. U.S. colleges and universities also accept students who have attended Canadian or other foreign high schools. I realize crossing the border can be an ordeal, but based on my single experience crossing the border at Vanceboro, it does not seem like a busy checkpoint, and shouldn’t take long for the students to cross the border. Just a thought…
It is not allowed anymore. It used to be an option.
If so, then that’s what your representatives (politicians) are here to work for you. Heck, if Obama can waive the “rules” for ObamaCare for whatever company, then LePage can waive the “rules” for which town.
Heck – who knows. Maybe the NB school is so good that it might even draw folks to move there resulting in an increased tax base !
Its the closest school to them.
Mrs. Mason is still receiving reimbursment from the Vanceboro School on the days she transports her children to Topsfield to meet the school bus which takes them to Lee Academy. Mrs. Mason uses her vehicle only when Vanceboro School does not transport the children to Topsfield with their van, which as of today it has been less than 12 times that Mrs. Mason has had to use her vehicle.
Ok apple since you know so much… why can’t all parents take turns driving their children out to Topsfield, not just Jill. Problem solved and it is fair for everyone involved. I can only suspect since you “know” so much that you must sit on the school board. According to my sources, they have quit paying her.
Check your sources
Check your head! I wish I could go to a dang school board meeting. It’d be worth it to fly 1500 miles to see the dimwits that make decisions around there! =)
Don’t kids have to go to school? Some used to walk in the old days. They should have thought of this when they built the new schools 25 miles away.
Lee Academy recruits students from all over the planet. They advertise on local television as well. I’d bet my house that the headmaster-who appears to be pretty sharp, will find a way to get $120,000.00 to and from school next year, rather than give up the revenue.
Homeschooling anyone???????????????????
Where are all these voices at town meeting and school board meetings
That is where the funding is decided
We were lucky to have enough to hold the last school budget town meeting
And how many go to the school board meeting
This is happening across the country as more schools are losing funding. It’s not just small places like this.
I had to read this story twice to get it. It started to sound like Abbott and Costello’s who’s on first
It`s more like peyton place.
Here is a riddle: How can cousins be stepsisters?
The state gives methadone dope heads free cab fare to come in and get there free fix, but can’t find a way for kids to get a ride to school??? Something is very wrong here.
The State gives methadone junkies free transportation to come in and get there free fix, but can not find a way to get these kids to school? Something wrong here.
Doesn’t state law mandate that if a student lives further than 1 mile from school bus service/transportation is to be provided? 10 grand a student is a lot of money, just curious as to how the rest of Lee Academy’s students get to school? Is transportation provided? Do their fees coorelate with the Vanceboro student’s fees? If they do, then Lee Academy has some explaining to do, or they can reduce their tuition for the Vanceboro students who they do not fully provide transportation for. The town and the school need to put their heads together and figure out a solution.
exactly. I’d like to see a print out of what exactly Lee spends their money on.. because it isn’t transportation obviously!
The State gives free rides to methadone junkies to go in and get their free fix, but can not find a way to help get these kids a ride to school? Something is very wrong here.
She is not asking for a bus for HER children. She is saying that this is a major problem and with more and more high schoolers coming from vanceboro to lee next year, it will be an even bigger problem. She is not the only mother that cannot afford to transport her kids 5 days/week. I guarantee you there is other families in this small, poor town that are having troubles too! The paper just happened to highlight her story. Had they put another family in the paper would you all be saying they were welfare seeking free-loading people? As for all the teenage pregnancy comments that is completely irrelevant to the story (and the paper should have even left that out of the story)… I believe she is not the 1, or 2… or even 3rd teenager that got pregnant in that town.. I guess if you have the right last name it’s ok?! Focus on the issue! 12 high schoolers in a poor town where resources are limited that need to get to the school closest to their home and no reliable ride to get them there. 12 CHILDREN with an education on the line.. 12 CHILDREN with nothing to do with whether their parents collect welfare as well as any other things their parents do. Since when did we start punishing children for their parents mistakes. Lastly.. people make mistakes! If you have never make a mistake in your life, comment on this post and let us know so we can all call you a liar!
“Mrs. Mason is still receiving reimbursment from the Vanceboro School on the days she transports her children to Topsfield to meet the school bus which takes them to Lee Academy. Mrs. Mason uses her vehicle only when Vanceboro School does not transport the children to Topsfield with their van, which as of today it has been less than 12 times that Mrs. Mason has had to use her vehicle”
This was posted earlier,
Which should be easy enough to check at the next school board meeting. Also there are not 12 students being tranported.The principals son also takes his truck out to Topsfield instead of her having to use her van. Maybe if Breeanne had left her boyfriend Lorenzo in Illonois there wouldn`t be a problem, Can`t call him the father because fathers support their families and aren`t burdens on society. No it`s come to Maine and sponge of the hardworking taxpayers
….and you would know about being a father how? How many kids do you have Joe?
This town is in the middle of nowhere.. Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty were spotted a few years back fishing on one of the streams in the area….They could have made a movie…..
Dobbins is the super of several schools, not just the Vanceboro school. Probably not far off on the salary though, when you combine all the schools.
Her personal life does not matter. When I grew up in Lambert Lake in the 80s, we had transportation to elementary school and to high school. It shouldn’t be any different now. The state needs to step in and do something. The children need to go to school and the school district needs to find a way to solve this problem.
Here’s a novel idea. How come the father of her baby isn’t stepping up? Perhaps he should be helping out with driving his child’s mother to school. And why aren’t they married?
The father is a 19 yr old kid in 10th grade and costing $10,000.00 to go to Lee and he will never graduate. He turn 20 in a couple months and can`t return to high school. He came from Illonois with Reeanne after knocking her up out there. And now is a burnden on the state of Maine and the taxpayers of Vanceboro. And let`s not forget this isn`t his first kid.Why get married when the state welfare system will give them a check, food stamps and free medical.
Easy for someone to say just get married. Marriage isn’t for everyone. People date for 40+ years and never get married. He doesn’t have a license either and he is in high school himself.
I think the main issue here is the fact that only this family is being asked to provide transportation to school. They are providing transportation free to all the other children of the town and these children are being singled out. This is discrimination at its best
The father is a 19 yr old kid in 10th grade and costing $10,000.00 to go to Lee and he will never graduate. He turn 20 in a couple months and can`t return to high school. He came from Illonois with Reeanne after knocking her up out there. And now is a burnden on the state of Maine and the taxpayers of Vanceboro. And let`s not forget this isn`t his first kid.
Why get married when the state welfare system will give them a check, food stamps and free medical.
The father is a 19 yr old kid in 10th grade and costing $10,000.00 to go to Lee and he will never graduate. He turn 20 in a couple months and can`t return to high school. He came from Illonois with Reeanne after knocking her up out there. And now is a burnden on the state of Maine and the taxpayers of Vanceboro. And let`s not forget this isn`t his first kid.Why get married when the state welfare system will give them a check, food stamps and free medical.
Another post by Joe who doesn’t have his facts straight.
1) HER NAME IS BREEANNA.
2) She did not get knocked up in ILLINOIS.
3) You still live with mommy.
Will SOME ONE PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me why people think the state has to take care of their children? Listen Get hold of yourself and do what has to be done and stop pushing your kids off on the state, you should not have had 6 children if you were not able to handle the responsibility!
Know about the situation.. she doesn’t have 6 children of her own. MMMMK!
Mommy jill can`t drive anymore because the state is going to pay her to watch her grandchild if and when breeanna goes to school.
What ever happened to families taking care of family
Now it hold your hand out and you expect the state to pay you for something you should be doing without pay.
It has to be the way the family was raised
Because as Jill`s mother has said the state is going to pay her to watch her great grandchild by Breanne`s cousin Stephanie, so she can return to high school.
It’s pretty funny you can say that is how our family was raised. My mother and I were both teenage parents and we have college degrees and full time jobs. What kind of education do you have Joe?
Joe, I can tell by your comments that your only purpose for being on here is to talk trash about our family. I have lost any respect that I may of had for you. You don”t have all your facts straight! It was never mentioned that Jill was getting paid to watch her grandchild. Stephanie and Breeanna are being put down because they are one of many unwed mothers. It has nothing to do with the lack of space for ALL of the kids! I came back to this town because I remember how it use to be here. People actually cared for each other and it was a great place to live even if it was in a remote part of the country that most people never heard of. It is too bad that most of the older people that have passed on aren”t here to see how their descendants are acting. This is getting rediculous, people should be trying to come up with a solution for the problem on how to get all our kids to school. It was always available to have transportation when I went to school. If you want to blame anyone for my family wanting to be here in the same town, than blame me. I am the one who told them how Vanceboro was a good place to raise kids. You aren’t originally from here but your family must of thought it was a good place to move to. It is not your responsibility to judge our family. We have listened to your put downs for the past few days and they have nothing to do with the existing problem of not enough seating for the kids. Congradulations! You have Managed to get Breeanna upset and she had nothing to do with writting the article. So leave her alone and get a life. She has her dreams and plans on going on to school. You wouldn”t know that though because you are too busy trying to put her down. I know you have never made mistakes in your life but when you do I hope it isn’t publicized and run into the ground, over and over again. There are a lot of good people in this town and get use to it, We are not leaving because of
a few judgemental people. This is getting out of hand! My grandchildren are getting good grades at Lee and just want to be treated equal.
You sound more stupid by the post…..you can tell you’re from vanceboro….sitting around on the computer jobless, worrying about other peoples life, and gossiping, talkn bout them. I bet u get all ur info from the post office, store, or morning phone calls each day
getting the latest gossip….pathetic, just like you!
idk i or my son have to do with this but if you hillbillies have something to say about came say it to my face.
Wow….cant even believe some of these post. This article is about education, and transportation, not jill as a mother, human being, or anything other than getting her voice heard about this matter. And whoever joe is, which im sure is an ignorant redneck from vanceboro who does nothing but sit around the table, phone, store, post office and gossip about evryone in town. Cause we all know all too well that that town is full of them. Apparently you all need to go back and get re-educated, not jill. You all are bashing her as a person, who most of you dont even know. Why should she have to transport her children to topsfield/school when they have someone, penny, who god love her is doing this out of the goodness of her heart, and wants nothing in return…hah. Yeah right, has offrred her time to do so…its not jill’s job. Nor should it b. It doesnt matter how far the school, when transportation is offered, it should b offered to all the kids, not just who they pick and chose the morning u wake up. Amd its always jill’s family? The more people comment on this the more dumb and ignorant you people sound. Jill is looking at any hand outs, she and sherman take care of their family. They dont recieve welfare, foodstamps, mayb breeanna, but who cares, she needs it. Jill supports and raises sherman’s two girl since they have been young. And hasnt asked for anything in return, thats their only mother they have. Her daughters she raises on her own, with no child support, or welfare, or food stakps. You people should get your facts straight before u comment on her life as a parent or a person. This article is about doing what you’re suppose to do….make enough room for all of those high school kids to get to and from school. Dont single out one family and decide which one of her kids cant make the ride that day. Its ignorant and plain bs. Maybe everyone should realize this, and leave her alobe as a person. She doesnt ask fpr anything, but some respect and for the school system to do there job. Its should NOT b her responsibility!!!!
And joe, why dobt you worry about your family and not so much about jill’s family…you must live a boring life in vanceboro to b sitting around a computer all the time posting back and forth…get a job!!