Raymond School District Public Meetings
Raymond Elementary School
Jordan Small Middle School
In Raymond our vision is to prepare each child for a global society that is evolving and dynamic. With a strong foundation in basic knowledge, students will be effective communicators, and independent thinkers and problem solvers who exhibit evidence of emotional, physical and mental well-being.
Raymond schools will provide an excellent education and service to the community in a nurturing environment, preparing each student to be a competent, responsible citizen of the 21st century.
The Raymond School District is an equal opportunity employer.
Welcome!
Welcome to our meeting. We appreciate visitors from the public and trust your attendance will be beneficial to both of us. We feel it is very important for interested persons to know about the workings of our schools and for us to be aware of what is important to the community. You are invited to participate in the meeting in accordance with the policy and guidelines established by the committee.
Committee Members
Lisa Friedlander, 2006
Deborah H. Adams, 2007
Theresa Sadak, 2008
Roger Ginn, 2008
Wendy Trask, 2006
Administrative Leadership Team
Superintendent Sandra (Sandy) Caldwell
Principal – Jordan Small Middle School Charles (Charlie) Miller
Principal – Raymond Elementary School Norma Richard
Director of Special Services Meg Waters
School Committee Duties & Responsibilities
Maine state law charges school committees with responsibility to "manage the schools". This is done, essentially by selecting a superintendent and providing him/her with authority & direction. It is not the role of the committee to operate the schools, but to see that they are well operated. The committee concerns itself primarily with broad questions of policy rather than with administrative details. The application of policies is a task to be performed by the administrative leadership team, who shall be held responsible for the effective administration & supervision of the entire school system.
Members of the committee have authority only when acting as a committee legally in session. The committee shall not be bound in any way by an action or statement of an individual member except when such statement or action is in pursuance of specific instructions from the committee.
Superintendent Duties and Responsibilities
The position of Superintendent of Schools is created by state law to provide each school committee with the benefit of advice from a professional educator. The state statutes and rules give the superintendent the necessary authority to carry out the responsibilities assigned to him/her in relation to the role assigned to school committees.
Committee Meetings
The Raymond School Committee generally meets twice a month on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the Raymond Elementary School Library. The first Wed. meeting begins at 7pm and is a voting meeting. The meeting on the third Wed. of the month begins at 6:30pm and is a workshop session. Agendas are prepared by the superintendent and committee chair. They are published at least four days in advance of each meeting and are available on the Raymond Website, in each school and in the town office.
Standard Committee Agenda – Voting Meetings
 | Call to Order |
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| Approval of Minutes* |
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| Agenda Adjustments |
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| Public Comments & Questions |
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| Reports from the Administrative Leadership Team |
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| Old Business |
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| New Business |
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| Planned Executive Session** |
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| Adjournment |
*Minutes – The purpose of minutes is to create an official record of actions taken by the board. (They reflect what was done, not all of what was said, at a meeting.) Draft minutes from prior meetings are reviewed for approval at the next regular meeting, so that any corrections may be made in a timely manner.
**Executive Session
In accordance with the Freedom of Access law, committee meetings are held in public. The committee may go into private or executive session, upon a vote of the majority of members present, for consideration of certain matters specified in law (i.e. personnel, student suspension/expulsion, collective bargaining, contracts to be negotiated, pending litigation, etc..). No final action may be taken in executive sessions.
Public Concerns and Complaints Policy
Complaints shall be handled and resolved as close as possible to the origin of the concern. Although no member of the community shall be denied the right to petition the school committee for redress of a grievance, the School Committee shall refer the complaints back through the proper channels for solution before investigation or action. Exceptions are complaints that concern School Committee actions or Committee operations only.
Public Participation Policy
Meetings of the school committee are public in the sense that they are held in public. This does not mean they are public meetings in the same sense as a "town meeting". The School Committee desires to hear the viewpoints of citizens and also needs to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner. To that end, we provide the following thoughts related to your participation as guided by our "Public Participation at School Committee Meetings Policy."
| The chair will provide an opportunity for public comment during the consideration of each major agenda item. |
| Brief comments from the audience on agenda items, prior to committee action, are commonly encouraged but may be limited at the discretion of the chair. |
| Speakers are recognized by the chair and are asked to identify themselves prior sharing their comments. |
| The number of speakers and the time each speaks may be limited. |
| Speakers are asked not to be repetitious of comments already made to the committee in the interests of most efficient use of time. |
| Community member inquires, other than simple questions, shall be referred to the Superintendent to research the matter and make a recommendation to the committee. |
| No complaints or allegations will be allowed in public concerning any staff member or any person connected to the school district |
Thank you for your attendance, cooperation
and interest in the Raymond Schools.
