Voters of RSU 67 soundly rejected the school system’s proposed budget for a fourth time on Tuesday, despite Mattawamkeag’s approval of the budget and of a proposal to buy Carl Troutt School.
Unofficial vote totals had Lincoln voters rejecting the proposed $12.19 million 2012-13 budget, 1,478 to 848. They opted against buying the Mattawamkeag school, 1,743 to 590.
Mattawamkeag voters approved the school purchase, 217-149, and the budget, 181-180. Chester voters rejected the budget, 182-100, and the school purchase, 191-93.
Three residents were elected to the RSU 67 school board. Katie Clay was the top board vote recipient with 1,328. Incumbent David Edwards was re-elected with 1,235 votes, while Dolly Phillips made it onto the board with 1,084 votes, just edging town Treasurer Gilberte Mayo, who received 1,052.
Mary Plourde received 654 votes and Jeffrey Schick received 598 in losing efforts.
The fourth budget vote had been, like the previous three, affected by voters’ questions of the credibility of Superintendent Denise Hamlin and the RSU 67 board of directors.
Outgoing RSU 67 Board of Directors Chairwoman Jackie Thurlow has said she blamed the leadership of a small group of residents for the budget’s rejection three times.
“I think now it is because of this group. People are coming to me and they feel that all this controversy is getting out of hand,” said Thurlow, who retired from the school board effective Nov. 6.
The group — Phyllis Aiken, Mary Mallett Bies, Tonya McLaughlin and Phillips — said before the vote that rejecting the proposed $12.19 million budget would be a vote of no-confidence in Hamlin. The group placed about a dozen “Vote No” signs around the school district. Bies estimated that her group speaks for more than 100 people who she said are afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation.
Several “Vote Yes” signs were posted around Lincoln last week – several appearing alone on school property — in response.
When contacted Wednesday, Hamlin issued a brief statement:
“We will schedule the public budget meeting and go to referendum by Dec. 21, 2012. The associated costs will increase the school budget for the taxpayers,” she said.
Attempts to contact Phillips and board vice chairman Regginal Adams were not immediately successful on Wednesday. Board member David Shannon of Lincoln declined to comment on the votes or their meaning.
“I think it would not be appropriate for someone other than an officer to speak for the board,” said Shannon, the CEO of Penobscot Valley Hospital of Lincoln, via an instant message.
He referred comment to John Trask, who he said is the board’s treasurer. Trask has an unlisted telephone number. Several other board members, including Edwards, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Aiken and Bies said the budget and Troutt votes send a clear signal that Hamlin should resign or be fired, calling them votes of no confidence in her leadership.
“It is real important than we get across that four people did not make this happen,” Bies said Wednesday. “Last night, everyone spoke for themselves.”
Hamlin on Nov. 1 offered a list of more than 18 points that she said were significant accomplishments in her three years as superintendent.
The list includes the tightening of spending and financial controls that allowed the school board to absorb $1 million in loss of stimulus funds while reducing spending and local taxpayer payments to the school system to pre-2009 levels. More than 20 “unnecessary positions” were cut and staff evaluations were instituted annually to match staffing with school enrollment changes.
“To say the least, many of these restrictions were or are unpopular within a culture used to freedom from accountability, which the board directed me to change,” Hamlin said in her statement.
Hamlin’s initiatives also vastly improved school buildings and technology, she said. Now all K-12 students have computers; the high and middle school gym floors and the grade and high school parking lots were resurfaced. New roofs are on two schools, new bleachers were installed at the high school; the school system’s three schools have energy-efficient doors and windows; and teacher salaries and benefits have increased by $200,000.
“As superintendent, I am proud of the academic and operational
improvements to our school system and disappointed that a group of
people with a personal agenda towards me would hold the budget
hostage. It only injures programs and services for children, and increases cost to the taxpayer,” Hamlin said.
The next board meeting, at which the board will presumably elect a new chairman, is set for Nov. 14, a school official said.
Time to admit defeat and send Hamlin packing, otherwise the entire district will continue to suffer from both her mis-rule and from the holding hostage of the budget by her opponents.
Right on Now that the X school teacher is gone maybe things wiil get better I was on the school awhile back and all the x-school teachers were useless just trouble
“You were on the school, ” are you talking about being on a roof of one of the school buildings? You might fall off if you are not careful. 5 year olds shouldn’t be on school roofs. What is a “wiil”? Just asking.
To : Known it all
I was a board member and I was not on the roof As I guess you have been and mybe you fell off a time or two
You better read your original post. It says you were on the school, nothing about school board. Your spelling is awful and your proof reading is just as bad, example, mybe, wiil, i was on the school etc. I am replying to the make up of your posts. I hope I didn’t vote for you when you ran for the board.
I would like to publicly state that I wasn’t even ATTEMPTED to be contacted by Mr Sambides today. I had my cell phone on me all day and there are no missed calls on my phone at home. Perhaps his idea of attempting is to think about it! I will state that IF Jackie Thurlow used the word “blamed” towards the four people mentioned, then it saddens me greatly. Blame indicates a wrong is done. I was just voicing what the community has been saying for three prior ballots. I would also submit, this isn’t costing the district NEARLY as much as the legal fees being paid for lawsuits and court cases. At least the fees involved in more voting benefit the entire public and NOT just the superintendent and the board. These meetings and votes give me, and the entire public a chance to SPEAK! 2 to 1 against, those are pretty big numbers! I wonder if we will get a board that listens or just more of the same rhetoric. I am Dolly Phillips, proud new member of the RSU 67 Board of Directors and I will do my best to represent the public. Congratulations also to Katie Clay for her step into public service and David Edwards for being elected to continue to represent!
NOW that I’ve read the rest of the article (I stopped reading to post that I had not been contacted, that has since changed and I spoke to Mr Sambides, completely off the record. He had apparently tried Dolores A Phillips and we know that I am DOLORES K(ing) Phillips)! NOW back to the article! I will only address ONE of the 18 achievements that Denise Hamlin credits herself with the “academic improvements”. I really wonder what those are? We went from 2 to 3 failing schools under her leadership. HMMMM?????? I think there are things that could be done to help all 3 schools move to passing. AND I would just like to point out here that 75% of Maine schools are failing! That certainly isn’t something we’ve been told before! And as for holding the “budget hostage” SHE is the one sitting on the funds for the afterschool club and late busses. I’m paying my taxes, the town is submitting to the Central Office the amount its supposed to, yet the programs remain inactive. When Denise can so often say ,”pass the budget and I’ll reinstate the afterschool club and late busses.” WHO is really holding the budget hostage? The PUBLIC has spoken AGAIN, please listen!
What! No mention of Jackie Thurlows big win in the sanitation districts board. A landslide too. Almost double her nearest rival. It’s clear how much support she has in the community.
Every word the superintendent has spoken is designed to fatten up her resume for the next district she destroys. She has not been consistant with facts or figures and the board has let her make a mockery of our school system using her hollow professional rhetoric instead of questioning the devastation she has caused in a once respected district. I question the intelligence of a board that seems so in awe of numbers thrown at them that they have collectively lost any intelligence that they may have once displayed. They have been wined and dined in a shameless way and I don’t believe they have even considered they have been played. Shame on them all.
“Hamlin on Nov. 1 offered a list of more than 18 points that she said were significant accomplishments in her three years as superintendent.”
>>>Interesting. Did she also mention that there are 18 counts against her in the next lawsuit?? It’s true.
“We will schedule the public budget meeting and go to referendum by Dec. 21, 2012. The associated costs will increase the school budget for the taxpayers,” she said.”
>>>Interesting. Did she mention that the last budget had to go up $10,000 to cover additional lawyer fees for HER?? She’s already racked up $30,000+. It’s true.
“Hamlin’s initiatives also vastly improved school buildings and technology, she said.”
>>>Interesting. Did she mention the gorgeous, blue tennis courts at MJHS that cost $50,000?? (No middle schools have tennis teams). It’s true.
“teacher salaries and benefits have increased by $200,000.”
>>>Interesting. Did she mention that teachers got a $600 raise this year, but had their experience step taken away, so most lost money on this year’s “raise”?? True story. (But I haven’t heard any of them complain about money this year. Only about leadership in the district.)
“More than 20 “unnecessary positions” were cut and staff evaluations were instituted annually to match staffing with school enrollment changes.”
>>>Interesting. Did she mention that there were 2 failing schools when she arrived in the district, and that since these “unnecessary positions” were cut they now have THREE failing schools? It’s true.
You have to be careful when listening to this one. What she DOESN’T say is much more important, and devastating, to our students and the well-being of this community than what she DOES say.
Have the new school board “reward “Hamlin with a pay decrease, for all her improvements to staffing and physical plant. Keep her anniversary date in December.
She has earned a pay decrease, the board should ” reward” her each year she stays with a pay demotion.
You can have Dr. Smith from Stearns, he will greatly cost you more.
New board members + open chair position + a super that doesn’t seem professional= A very interesting first couple of mtngs. The behind the scenes “discussions” could be interesting. I think new board members should wear a T-Shirt stating ” The Super works for the school board, not the other way around.” If I had the time I would be at the first few mtngs. Good Luck Lincoln, can only go up from here.