05/29/2026
Good afternoon,
It’s been a bit so I thought I’d give an update on the last few weeks.
After winning the school board election I made it my first priority to get to know where we are as a school district. I took five hours during the first week of May to meet with the Superintendent, principals, bus department, cafeteria staff, secretaries, faculty, and other staff members while touring all the schools in the district. Thank you to everyone who took the time to make me feel welcome and answer all of my questions. I would like to share some of the takeaways I got from this experience.
I started my tours Tuesday morning at the Elementary School with Principal St. Clair and Superintendent Scott Albert. We began with a meeting discussing pros and cons of elementary school life. Pat was quick to mention the overwhelming positive student body but was struggling with a small percentage of students. Elementary school has changed in ways that was a surprise to me. I did not expect to hear form Pat some of the circumstances he has dealt with. Third through Fifth grade is a whole new world and Pat is the person to guide us through. He was especially proud to show off the Green House out back , the 11,000 books in the library, and the new drop-off/pick up routine he spearheaded. Pat leads his team like a well oiled machine. One thing that Pat mentioned would be a huge improvement is adding a separate gym area. It takes a lot to change the gym to a cafeteria and back to a gym everyday.
I ended Tuesday at the Middle School with Principal Targett. Kris, Scott and I had a great tour of the middle school, it looked to be in great shape. We stopped at the Library where the Librarian Amy Ryder was getting ready to show a presentation of holidays celebrated around the world. I saw many familiar faces and the vibe throughout the halls was awesome. In the meeting that followed I learned a little more about the vibe at the middle school. Kris has been implementing a Restorative practice strategy that has taken a few years to flourish but is making great improvements at the middle school. My takeaway is Kris can capture the attention of anyone when he talks about the strategies he’s implementing. I was excited about it just from listening to him explain how it works. Please don’t ask me to explain.
On Friday morning I met up with Jon at the bus garage and rode bus 20 for a Chisolm pickup. Jon is a newer bus driver who recently moved to the area and started out driving the vans while working his way into a full-time bus driver. I couldn’t help but notice the pride Jon showed in his accomplishments. His dedication to child safety was on full display the entire ride. Thanks Jon for the great ride along. When we returned I met with Norma, she brings decades of knowledge and experience to the transportation department. I noticed right away she ran a great crew and everyone knew their assignments.
After that i met with Superintendent Albert at Principal Plourde’s office. As we entered the main office TJ was immediately called to action with a crisis. He closed his office door and within minutes the crisis was handled. We then toured the High School, including the new bleachers, the update the cafeteria was receiving, the great foster tech shop wing(my favorite place back in the day) and he was especially proud of pointing out how they were able to use every square foot of closets and offices to house the many new programs that are required each year. I have known TJ since kindergarten so I may be a little bias. TJ always seemed to excel at things he wanted and was a great classmate. I say this because my takeaway from this meeting was I believe Principal Plourde is a great role model for all high school kids. Get to know him, you’ll see.
Scott and I ended Friday at the Primary School. We were greeted with big smiles from Mrs Keene and toured the Primary school with Principal Shink. Darcy was excited for the day and knew all the kids by name. Her highlight of the tour was the seats on the stage in the cafeteria where she gets to share lunch with students. She also pointed out changes made to new areas in the school for added needs required by the state. Darcy was thrilled with the new roof, boiler, and upgrades to the playground area coming soon. My takeaway from the Primary school is Darcy is a great asset to RSU73. She displayed not only the knowledge of all the needs of every student at RSU73 Primary School but also the experience to follow through with the many programs needed in today’s schools.
After fours hours with Superintendent Scott Albert I can tell you his knowledge and experience is vast. Scott handled the whole experience like a professional and knows the ins and outs of being an effective superintendent. I have heard more acronyms in the tours than I can remember and Scott knew them all well. Scott has dealt with citizens, staff, and board members for many years and is still pleasant and approachable.
Yesterday I met with Jayde Couture to discuss her work with the Drug Free Community Program. This is a newer program that she is working very hard to get the word out on.
That was my week of touring RSU73 and I’m excited for the future.
Earlier this week I began working with Chris Hollingsworth on the Math curriculum at RSU73. I have a meeting Monday morning with Chris to see where we can improve the math program. Hearing about the Literacy program in the Elementary last night was both exciting and inspiring for where the Math program is headed.
I reached out to Norma this morning concerning the bus situation. Last night at the meeting she mentioned we need to start replacing older buses soon. We need to get the word out to the residents now so it’s not a surprise next budget.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read all this.
If you have questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out here or at [email protected]
Matt Brennick
School Board of Directors
