Town of Scarborough

July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009
Report from the
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
To the Town Manager, Town Council, and
Citizens of Scarborough:
David Doyle
Superintendent
The thing that stands out most
about school year 2008-09, is
how well our students and staff
performed, despite local, state
and national problems. We
began the school year with
3,360 students and a staff of
over 500 professionals and
support personnel. The class of
2009 was eager to bring their
high school careers to an end
and enter the next phase of their
lives. At the same time, the
class of 2020 was starting on
the first of theirs, with many
years to come.
Nationally we were witness to the collapse of many facets
of the economy. The ripple from that would quickly find us
here in Scarborough. By mid-October, we were hearing
rumors of shortfalls in revenue projections in Augusta. The
School Board and Administration began to take a hard look
at our operation to see where we might pare back an already
lean system. A spending freeze was instituted and field
trips were limited. By mid-November, it was confirmed
that there would be a curtailment of funds promised to the
schools as part of our General Purpose Aid from the State.
Scarborough’s portion of this reduced subsidy was
$781,000. What followed was a thorough search of our
budget to identify areas that could be reduced, and savings
that could be achieved that would allow us to operate as
effectively as possible. It was not until the spring with the
passage of Federal Legislation known as ARRA, or more
commonly the “stimulus money,” that we learned some of
those funds would be used to restore the curtailment funds.
While all of this was transpiring, our staff continued to
provide quality instruction and educational opportunities for
our students. It was a challenge that the staff rose to meet
with their usual professionalism. When you look at the
assessment scores for students in Scarborough, they
continue to exceed state averages across the Board. While
we always strive to do better, the percent of our students
that meet or exceed standards on the Maine Educational
Assessments and the SATs is significantly higher than the
State average and rank at the top of systems our size. They
are competitive with the best in the State.
Scarborough High School as one of only 504 schools
nationwide to achieve Silver Star status. This was out of
21,069 schools analyzed. Only 100 schools were listed as
Gold Star schools. To be designated a Silver Star School,
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our students needed to perform better than statistically
expected for the average student in the state in Math and
Reading. They also looked at how well our least
advantaged students performed compared to similar
students in the State and how “college ready” our students
were. This was a great honor and demonstrates the hard
work that students and staff have done, not just in the High
School, but all the grades leading up to it.
In addition to this honor, six members of the Junior class
qualified for the National Merit Scholarship program, and
one Senior received a National Merit Scholarship. A large
majority of our High School students are very involved in
student life. Over 84% of the student body participates in
one or more school sponsored activities and volunteers
literally thousands of hours in various community service
activities, ranging from raking leaves for senior citizens to
working in soup kitchens. By the end of the year,
Scarborough had won state championships in Academic
Decathlon, with one member named as the premiere
essayist in the country; Student Congress and Debate; Girls
Cross Country; Boys Cross Country; Boys Soccer; Boys
Indoor Track; Girls Indoor Track; and Girls Softball.
Scarborough High School Gym
At the Middle School, there is a similar level of energy and
involvement. Students there were active members of their
community in many ways ranging from helping Project
Grace provide fuel assistance for residents in Scarborough
to participating in the 22 nd Annual Ed Wimert Bike/Walk
for Aids. Five students from the Middle School placed first
or second in the Maine National History Day Competition
and went on to compete in the National Competition held at
the University of Maryland. The Middle School was also
awarded a grant from the Maine Community Heritage
Project, to work with the public library and the historical
society on a project focusing on local history.
Scarborough Middle School