BATH— Residents in the RSU 1 School District will be deciding between two-term incumbent Megan Fuller and newcomer Jamie Dorr on Nov. 3.

Both independent candidates vying for the Bath seat spoke with The Forecaster about the importance of navigating the pandemic and working to strengthen the schools.

Megan Fuller

Fuller. Courtesy photo

Age: 43

Political party: Independent

Residence : Bath

Family: Three children in RSU1 schools

Education : Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Master of Science in Library and Information Science, Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study – National Board Certified Teacher, reading specialist

Occupation : School librarian/ teacher

Political/civic experience: Public educator for 19 years, serving on various committees, two terms on RSU1 School Board.

Website/social media: N/A

Jamie Dorr

Dorr

Age:   44

Political party: Independent
Residence: Bath

Family: Married with two sons

Education:  University of Southern Maine, associate’s in business administration

Occupation: Executive cirector of Midcoast Community Alliance youth center

Political/civic experience: Founder of the community coalition; successfully wrote and obtained two substantial Maine Department of Education grants for new after school programming and to support for homeless youth in RSU1

Website/social media: N/A

RSU 1 also includes Arrowsic, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.

Fuller

Fuller said she wants to focus on making sure the school continues to run well through the pandemic.

“The biggest issue is figuring out what education will look like during this time, and the biggest challenges facing that is the staffing and the space,” Fuller said.

Fuller said she wants to focus on maintaining a healthy school environment going into the winter as outdoor spacing is limited, while continuing to add staff members to cover holes if anyone gets sick, and also keep class sizes small.

“They are lacking substitutes right now in the elementary levels, that’s more so my focus,” she said. “It is having enough people so you can be working in smaller groups of students, so you can keep that social distancing and physical distancing that needs to happen.”

Fuller said she didn’t have any other major issues to tackle if reelected, but she wants to continue to be a “core member,” and have a say in the decision-making process.

“My goal is to make decisions based on what is best for the school district,” She said.  “We need to deliver a quality education for each student. I want to make sure policies we set forth and the decisions we make promote that.” 

Dorr

Dorr said she is running for the seat in order to “listen to the students.”

“If elected I want to work on communication or transparency, that is one thing all organizations should be focused on, and bringing consistency into how things are done and listening to and supporting students,” Dorr said.

Dorr hopes through listening, the school board can work on students’ emotional well-being, which has been a focus of hers as the director of the Midcoast Community Alliance.

“We have to take care of our kids’ basic needs and focus on mental wellness before kids even begin to learn and pursue education. A lot of times the community has looked to the school to address things the school doesn’t have resources to, so how do we work with community partners to address any number of issues teens are facing,” Dorr asked.

In terms of the pandemic, Dorr also is looking at ways to keep students in schools without putting them at risk of contracting COVID-19.

“There isn’t an easy answer and an answer that is good today can be wrong tomorrow, so it is ‘how we can get kids back, what needs to be done?’ They want to be back in school. We are seeing an increase in emotional distress,” Dorr said.