FARMINGTON — Superintendent Christian Elkington announced a ribbon-cutting and open house for the Regional School Unit 9 District Office at 227 Main St. for Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.

The office, which moved into the former Holman Mission House in January 2024, houses space for the superintendent, business and finance, special services and school nutrition departments.

At Tuesday’s board of directors meeting, several principals shared updates on their schools.

Cascade Brook School Principal Nichole Goodspeed expressed excitement about a new opportunity for students. “They are going to try to get Foster Career & Technical Education Center into Cascade Brook to work with our fifth graders on digital media, culinary and outdoor leadership,” she said. “We’ve been trying to get Foster Career & Technical Education Center into our school for a while, and it would be really cool to do that.”

Goodspeed also highlighted the impact of the newly installed air conditioning at the school. “We love the air conditioning,” she said. “For the first time in a long time, we don’t lose our students after recess because the classrooms are comfortable, dry and cool. Teachers have told me they can teach after recess again and it’s been great.”

Asked by Director J. Jeffrey Barnum of New Vineyard about efforts to address chronic absenteeism, Goodspeed explained the role of Amanda Clark, the school’s social worker, and the use of Community Connect. “We’ve got a team now, so it’s not just me checking absences,” she said. “Amanda reached out to a family when a student missed a few days, and he started showing up again after she contacted them. It was really helpful.”

W.G. Mallett School Principal Tracy Williams said there is excitement around the recent expansion of the prekindergarten playground. “The kids were so excited when they got to school Monday morning,” Williams said. “This extra space makes a big difference. They’ve actually got a grassy area to run on and a wider space to ride their bikes.”

Williams also addressed the disbanding of the school’s PTA in the spring and the Sept. 25 meeting to discuss forming a new parent group.

James Black, Mt. Blue Middle School principal, provided updates on the school’s open house, which had to be restructured due to a flood in the gymnasium. “We made lemonade out of lemons,” he said. “The feedback from staff was positive, and I think we’ll do it again next year.”

Black also spoke about the impact of their new athletic director and interventionist, Shane Dudash, who is responsible for managing academic intervention and in-school suspensions. “Instead of sending kids home when we have disciplinary problems, they go into this space where Shane connects with teachers,” Black said. “It’s been a huge relief for us.”

Additionally, Black mentioned the success of the new Lego robotics and coding club, which he said is helping to keep middle school students engaged. “It’s going to feed into the high school program so we can keep that going.”

Regarding ongoing repairs to the gymnasium, Black said, “They’re waiting on a subfloor and then putting the hardwood back on. We’re hopeful to have it completed by mid-November.”

Staffing challenges were also a major topic of discussion. Goodspeed noted that finding substitutes remains difficult. “We have many days where not all the positions are filled, so we have to scramble,” she said. “It’s not just us, it’s the whole district.”

Elkington acknowledged the district’s efforts to hire key personnel, including special education resource positions, but noted that there are still few candidates for these roles.

The next RSU 9 board meeting is Oct. 8.