Your readers suggest Maine needs school leaders willing to take decisive action for reading, by Judy Schelble (and for school leaders—here is your solution)!

So glad you asked.

We are right here – a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Future Visions Youth Development Inc., FVYD W. Rockport, Maine, with a remarkably successful short program (with evidence and data, too).

We already had a place in Maine Schools 2012 with five districts and 500 students (stopped by fraud).

Then again to enter Maine schools with its efficacy already proven (2015: Lepage) to be delivered on a Well Health Leadership Platform. When President Obama suggested help Education from nonprofits for ESSA;2015, FVYD stepped up with our unique ESSA Initiative.

In SY19-21, we delivered this simple program’s coursework Checklist, approved by our Univ. of Southern Maine, USM.

It ran in Maine schools (and was stopped again) We are waiting now with 75-voter signatures in November 2025 — for a meeting with our Gov. Mills — to open Maine school doors. 

Aside: This solution also addresses the main reason so many of our teachers have to leave their classrooms today. As they have been wrongly blamed for student failures. 

Reading empowers a good quality of life that will enlighten their future. It brings “choice” to their future careers.

Currently, both our students' (and community) mental and physical wellness is at stake so let’s move quickly. With notice of your interest, from this community we will move this right along. 

Let’s get all interested parties together at the Rockport Library in a few weeks. This will end our students’ struggle and let the fun begin for our kids in schools. And... in-school is where our students wait — to read. Then in just three months, they can become peer equals and finally learn what it is like to be a whole and healthy person!

Fluency and comprehension is only 12 weeks away with this 15-minute program it fits in liken to a bathroom break. It truly is the first step to “Equality in Education for our kids and brings with it the direly needed support for our teachers.”  And once committed—to that end....

Together, we will build our FVYD/Maine/ DOE Template for regional applications so all School Districts can benefit.  So let’s plan so we can soon be in  Rockland /Rockport /Camden schools and then apply this FVYD Template nationwide. 

Let’s meet and greet FVYD has those answers...to your many questions! 

Deborah Parker, president of FVYD, lives in Rockport