On June 10, Warren will vote for two of three candidates to serve on the Regional School Unit 40 school board. Rick Butler challenges incumbent Julie Swindler while incumbent Randy Kassa runs unopposed. RSU 40 comprises K-12 public schools Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington.

PenBayPilot.com has circulated questions to all school board candidates, Julie Swindler, Rick Butler, and Randy Kassa. Here, Randy Kassa responds.

Please provide a short biography.

A few years after I retired from my public education career, I decided to dedicate some of my time and energy to public service in my community. My career had included 16 years of classroom teaching, a half-dozen years in junior and senior high school administration, and finished with a School Approval/Student Enrollment position at the Maine Department of Education. A school board seat in Warren was open and I was encouraged to run for it, and was subsequently elected. Considering my career experience, along with a bachelor’s degree in education, a master’s degree in education administration, and my studies which culminated in an internship-short of a master’s in education law, I believed I was as qualified as anyone else to sit on the RSU 40 Board.

What is RSU 40’s number one strength or asset? How should the district protect and expand on this strength? 

RSU 40 is fortunate to have experienced and flexible building administrators and caring, involved teaching staff. Our support staff is dedicated to offering their best to students. Many of our students find success through their attendance at Mid Coast School of Technology.

 What is the number one challenge facing RSU 40? How should the district handle this issue?

Unfortunately, Covid and mandatory school closures had a huge negative impact on the entire educational community. Many teachers and school employees left education and students lost much of their motivation, interest, and initiative. Our district has done a great job of filling positions that were lost during this time. I don’t think we have fully regained our students’ educational capabilities yet, however, recent change in district policy to increase the credits needed for RSU 40 graduation is a step in the right direction.

Except for the top 15% of students, I would rate public K-12 education as simply adequate. I do not think we need to spend our taxpayer’s money on social issues that detract from direct teaching and learning or encourage non-educational ideologies to be promoted at school.

Should schools adopt a phone-free policy?

In my teaching and administrative roles, I recognized the distracting impact of student’s cellphone and technology use. I will support appropriate restrictions on cellphone use during the school day – which should apply to both students and staff. 

Should pre-K programs be expanded? 

Philosophically, I do not fully support the concept Pre-K programs. We are not giving our young children enough time to “just be kids.”  The financial incentive of taxpayer-paid child care is very strong for families, but the educational benefits of very early childhood education has been shown to fade within a few short years.

Is the free meal program worthwhile, i.e. should local taxpayer support increase to replace any lost federal funding? Are enough local fresh food from area farms being integrated into the meal program? 

While the free meal program is another expense taxpayers are concerned about, there really are students in our community who often go without meals. This is not the children’s fault. Hunger impacts their learning potential and behavior. This is a program that is not fully utilized by a significant portion of our students, and it should be continued to be promoted.

What is your opinion on banning books from public school libraries? Are there any books you want pulled off the school library/classroom shelves?

I do not advocate for banning books; rather, I strongly object to sexually explicit books being freely available to our children in a school setting. Recently, the RSU 40 Board was presented with a petition signed by nearly 1000 registered voters and taxpayers who objected to spending their tax money on these types of books.

Do you support or object to current state law which prevents discrimination based on one’s gender identity? Would you attempt to change RSU 40’s current policies and procedures regarding transgender and gender expansive students?

RSU 40’s transgender student policy conforms to the DOE and MHRC policies. Few school units in Maine have such a policy, as it is recognized as redundant to do so. I don’t agree that Title IX includes gender identity. I voted in committee and at the Board to not recommend renewal of the policy this year because I expect the courts will soon decide its fate.  

Do you feel the current budget is appropriate, too low, or too high? What areas of the budget would you change and how? 

I am pleased to represent the voice of the people of Warren, whose property taxes pay for the programs and materials in the schools, and are dedicated to providing a classical education which is age appropriate at every level.

Is there anything else you’d like to address?

 I will be pleased to continue my service to the students, staff, and taxpayers of RSU 40 and be a voice for the people of Warren.