Five Ellsworth residents seek to fill two open seats on the local school board at a time when some of Maine’s elected supervisory school bodies have become hyperpoliticized.
Incumbents Kelly McKenney and Christopher Walters and hopefuls John Linnehan, Karen Shea Arkin and Brittany Rumery are vying for two open seats on the Ellsworth School Board.
The race is the first in five years that there has been a contested election for the city’s school board, according to the Ellsworth American.
School board races in Maine for a long time were considered predominantly civil contests, but that has changed for some in recent years. Roughly since the COVID pandemic, first with mask and vaccination mandates, hot-button social topics such as transgender and other diversity issues have become more openly debated at school board meetings — and at times have drawn funding from outside groups that seek to have their preferred candidates elected.
In Ellsworth, the candidates differ how the school system — which governs Ellsworth High School, Ellsworth Elementary Middle School, Hancock County Technical Center and the city’s adult ed programs — can cultivate student success.
As Ellsworth’s school budget accounts for more than 40 percent of city spending, each of the candidates have stressed the importance of balancing student needs and fiscal responsibility.
But they don’t all agree on how to meet that balance.
Two candidates, Linnehan, a longtime area businessman and repeat political candidate who has never held public office, and Arkin, a self-described conservative social worker who is in the middle of her first bid for public office, want to slash unnecessary costs by reviewing the school system’s $34.6 million budget line-by-line.
“I would reduce spending in the Ellsworth Schools,” Linnehan wrote in an email to the Bangor Daily News. “Like my own and any family’s household spending, Ellsworth schools need to review each individual line spending item. Once an item is identified as being either ‘a need or a greed,’ only then can any item be chosen to be cut, reduced or approved. Like any household, I believe there are many items of spending that can be cut and eliminated from our school budget.”
Linnehan and Arkin share campaign signs posted around the city.
Rumery, a finance director at a Maine nonprofit who formerly served in the finance department at a community college and private university, said education was among the most vital ways to invest in a city. She supports exploring grants and partnerships to supplement local dollars, she said.
McKenney, who is running for her fourth school board term, said she’s seen her taxes nearly double in the past decade, but pointed out that fixed costs account for roughly 90 percent of the school budget.
“Our district is not frivolous with money, but educating and providing services to our students come with a hefty price tag,” McKenney said. “Fortunately, our very talented administrative team applies for and is awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funds.”
Walters was appointed to the school board in June after former member Elizabeth Alteri resigned from her post to move out of the city. He said he would prioritize reviewing administrative costs, contracts, purchasing, technology expenses and underutilized resources before cutting budget items that are directly related to student academics like staff, special education resources and building maintenance.
McKenney and Walters said deferred building maintenance is a pressing challenge the schools will face soon. Rumery said Ellsworth’s growing population would bring significant change to the city’s school system.
Linnehan said the board should focus on repairing what he described as a “low level of quality education.” Linnehan cited declining student scores in core subjects as a matter that needed immediate attention.
Arkin wants to zero in on retaining high quality teachers and ensuring they have “time for teaching.”
The candidates had varying assessments of how shifting enrollment trends could impact Ellsworth students. Arkin does not think enrollment is “much of an issue at the moment,” while Linnehan, Walters, Rumery and McKenney agreed it should inform where and how the district invests in its programs and facilities.
“Enrollment and facility needs go hand in hand,” Rumery said. “We should be watching enrollment trends and listening to staff about how our buildings are actually working for students day to day. If we can identify needs early, we have more time to plan, explore funding options, and make thoughtful financial decisions instead of waiting until a need becomes urgent.”
The candidates also weighed in on how the district can best improve students’ quality of life.
McKenney believes the district should continue to invest in social services, including by providing mental, physical and emotional health services to students. The district is already offering many of these services, like access to food, clothing and hygiene products for homeless students and families.
Rumery wants to hear from students on what would enhance their school experience, but she said her own child has asked for longer lunches, more recesses and later start times. Rumery acknowledged that such changes would come with downsides — like interrupting family work schedules and absorbing educational time — that would also need consideration.
Linnehan would like to expand career and vocational training opportunities, noting the school district should be focused on preparing students for a successful career.
“I want to move away from technology teaching and bring back paper, pencils [and] textbooks,” Arkin said.
Walters, a firefighter, echoed some of McKenney and Linnehan’s points, tying a student’s quality of life to the opportunities at their disposal — both in terms of real-world skills and mental health resources.
“We need to look at the whole student,” Walters said. “Students should have trusted adults they can go to when they need help. We should also continue looking for ways to give students meaningful opportunities outside the traditional classroom. Not every student learns the same way or has the same goals.”