PHILLIPS — School Administrative District 58 will be proposing its original $9.4 million budget Monday night amid an exodus of disgruntled teachers and administrators.

Superintendent Erica Brouillett said last week that the school board is not proposing any changes to the original $9.4 million budget. That budget was pared to just $265,000 total by a teacher-led protest that defunded regular and special education.

The skeleton budget was rejected in the districtwide vote June 9 by residents of Avon, Kingfield, Strong and Phillips.

The Mount Abrams Teachers Association said last week that five administrators and as many as 10 teachers have left the district recently — not because of pay or lack of a teacher’s contract, but because of concerns the school board is putting itself ahead of the students and staff.

Sally Bean, of the Teacher’s Association, sent the Morning Sentinel an email that day, after the budget was rejected, saying, it’s a “bittersweet commentary” that the latest U.S. News and World Report rating of high schools awards Mount Abram a bronze medal “and shows that only 10 schools out of 118 in Maine have a higher math score.”

“At the same time, some of our most valued veteran teachers are resigning,” Bean said. “Brian Twitchell has officially accepted a position at Carrabec High School, while Barry London will become principal for the Stratton School. Several others will soon follow. Along with the loss of our administrative team of Marco Aliberti and James Black, it will be difficult to maintain that level of excellence.”

Barry London, a teacher at Mt. Abram High School for 26 years, found the board’s decisions to reject the advice of educators when changing the school day schedule to be the last straw.

“Overall, it’s been a great experience except for the last couple of years,” London said.

“Everything that’s in the news — there’s been a considerable amount of conversation that this is about the contract,” London added. “Well, we haven’t had a contract in three years.”

The SAD 58 Board of Directors decided Tuesday evening to settle pay and move on to negotiating a new contract with teachers who have been working without a contract for three years. A news release from Brouillett said the board was at a “bona fide impasse with the association on the issue of salary increases and insurance,” following meetings and arbitration about the issues.

The board moved to implement its last salary and insurance proposal made to the association during negotiations for a “successor collective bargaining agreement.” The health insurance proposal will become effective July 1.

Brouillet said, “These motions came as a result of three plus years of failed negotiations on wages and insurance. In essence, this puts to end the protracted negotiations for the 2012-2015 teachers contract and allows the parties to move forward July 1 with new negotiations for the successor contract and a clean slate.”

“Next week, the teachers will receive their share of wage increases to date with the remainder being paid out in their summer salaries (totaling $175,000) which have accrued over the time of negotiations.”

‘TIRED OF BEING MEDIOCRE’

Complaints from departing staff members have run the gamut.

London brought up student schedule changes brought on by the board. He said three attempts had been made to implement the changes, without success. London characterized the restructuring as “impossible.”

London said, “It changed the dynamic of what we could do for teaching and learning.”

According to London, an atmosphere of negativity permeated the entire board led by Chairman Dan Worcester and Vice Chairman Jason Plog.

Neither Worcester nor Plog responded to attempts to reach them for comment.

As a government teacher, London said he had to ask himself, “What is the purpose of being on the school board?”

“If it’s not about teaching and learning, then you shouldn’t be on the school board.”

London pointed to Plog, who said that a public meeting the schools “suck.” He said that while every educator in the school would agree there’s always room for improvement, Plog’s comment had no basis.

London said the school has an annual board member day, when the members come in and meet with classes. He said it’s planned well in advance and usually well attended; however, this year, only four board members showed up.

Those four got an earful, according to London, who said the students told the board members the new schedule didn’t work and why it didn’t work.

London said the board rejection of the teacher’s plan for a revised schedule was a turning point for many of the teachers who aren’t planning to return this fall.

“One of the teachers that’s leaving is driving an extra distance to a new school because she’s tired of being mediocre,” London said. He said the board at Stratton puts student learning in the forefront, “and we’ve not had that in two years here.”

“Five administrators, four teachers here at the high school, two or three at Kingfield, one in Phillips and two at Strong have left, and so we’ve had a mass exodus of teachers,” London said.

London said he didn’t see any changes coming for the next school year that would allow him to teach the way he needs to teach. “It was OK to be mediocre” at SAD 58, he said.

Twitchell said in his resignation letter that his resignation becomes effective Aug. 21: “I have had 23 wonderful years teaching at Mount Abram, and one year that has effectively closed the door for me to continue in this job.”

Twitchell said, “I have taught here for 24 years knowing that I could have made a lot more money, either in another district, or in another occupation. I did not go into this job for the money; rather, I have been a teacher at Mt. Abram High School for all of these years because I love this area. I wanted to bring my knowledge and expertise in mathematics to the young people of Northern Franklin County, believing that they deserve as good of an education as students in wealthy communities.”

‘THE LAST STRAW’

Twichell said that in February 2014 the board decided on a change students’ schedules that would be impossible to implement. After teachers met with the board, Twichell said, he felt optimistic that the board would reverse its decision. But when the board met in May, its members decided to stick with their scheduling change.

Twichell referred to that moment as “the last straw.” The next day, he said, he sent out his application packet to a nearby district.

“What I have found most troubling through all of this is that these decisions, which clearly impact students and student learning, are being made with no regard to the input of the professional educators,” Twichell said.

“We as teachers are the ones who see the students day by day. We know their struggles, we know their weaknesses, and we are constantly reflecting either personally or with others about how to improve their education. Nor do we limit ourselves to those within our buildings; teachers talk to colleagues in other districts to find better ways of meeting student needs. All of this experience, however, was ignored by the Board of Directors.”

Another teacher who resigned, Jennifer Baker, spoke glowingly of her school and her students over the 12 years she worked for the district, feelings, she said, that have changed in the last five years.

Baker’s letter stated, “Over the past five years or so, many of the characteristics of my job and our district that I admired and appreciated have fallen apart.”

Baker said she will miss her students, colleagues and principal. “There comes a time however, when a person has to consider their own emotional and mental well-being; for me, I have waited perhaps a bit too long hoping things would improve, and now I must simply accept this opportunity for change,” she wrote.

None of the letters of the administrators who have resigned outlined specific reasons for their departure or made any allusions to the board.

Douglas McIntire — 861-9252

dmcintire@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @CD_McIntire

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