Sanford Schools Ready for a New Year

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By Kendra Williams

Final preparations for the start of the 24/25 school year were the primary focus of the School Committee’s meeting on Aug. 19. Since then, fall athletics have begun and schools have held open houses. New teacher orientation, a staff welcome and an in-service day have taken place. Several new professional staff positions were filled over the summer with what Superintendent Matt Nelson described as outstanding candidates. Maintenance and custodial staff have been hard at work performing annual cleaning and maintenance in all schools.

All is now ready for students’ return after this Labor Day weekend. On Tuesday, Sept. 3, students in grades 1-9 will begin. On that same afternoon, there will be an open house from 5-6 pm for the Sanford Regional Technical Center’s Pre-K Program.

The following day, Sept. 4, will be the first day for Pre-K, kindergarten and all other students to grade 12.

Through a partnership with the YMCA and Sanford Schools, an additional P-K classroom with 16 spaces will be added this year, with before- and after-school care for working parents. The new space, furniture and supplies are ready and waiting.

Breakfast and lunch will once again be free for all students. This follows the summer meals program where the Sanford Schools Food Services Program provided almost 23,000 free meals at public places.

Bus routes have been released. There will be an email on Infinite Campus for parents, who will be given a username and password. They will be able to log in to see the approximate time of the stop for their student. Parents with questions about their child’s student ID number should contact their school. For further questions about bus routes, contact either the school or Ledgemere Transportation at 207-324-4888. For other transportation issues, contact Assistant Superintendent Steve Bussiere at 207-324-2810.

Bus drivers and monitors are still needed. A sign-on bonus of $5,000 for those fully licensed to drive a bus is being offered. For those who need training, the bonus is $3,000 and for bus monitors, it’s $1,600. Starting pay for drivers has increased to $26 an hour, with increases over time.

As always, there is a need for substitute teachers, ed techs, nurses, custodians and food service workers. Rates have been adjusted and increased effective at the beginning of the school year.

The next School Committee meeting is on Monday, Sept. 9.

Watch the full School Committee meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrwQRtQA7Ts

For more information on the school opening, go to the Sanford Schools website at

https://www.sanford.org