District Update: 4/27/25
Dear parents and guardians of RSU 18 students,
April break is ending today, and tomorrow we start the home stretch of the year. It is an exciting time with so much going on in our schools. This time of year, we receive a lot of questions about end of the year dates, so here is some information to help you plan. The last day for students will be Thursday June 12th. Staff will have a workshop day on the 13th. High School graduation will be Thursday June 5th. Both of our middle schools (CMS and MMS) will have their promotion ceremonies on Thursday June 12th. There are other events going on at each school, so parents please pay attention to notices coming home. For those of you who like to plan even further ahead, the calendar for next year is posted on our website, rsu18.org.
Earlier this month the RSU 18 school board adopted a budget for next year. The board works with my leadership team on the budget throughout the winter months to get a responsible budget ready for our schools and our taxpayers. We are happy to say this year the increase in our spending plan will only be 2.67%. Our district budget meeting is on Thursday May 22nd, and then taxpayers get a chance to vote on the final budget on Tuesday June 10th in each of our five towns. Please show up and support our school budget.
For the past couple of years our district has set ourselves apart from others by having increased academic data and being the highest performing academic district in Central Maine. Hard work by students, a talented and caring staff, a strong bond between families and our schools, and an incredibly positive culture of caring and support has undoubtedly paid off. We are so proud of what our students have accomplished, and in the next few weeks there will be more to come. We will hear about post-secondary plans from our seniors, Advanced Placement testing will be taking place, state assessments in many grades will be conducted in both mathematics and reading, and there will be countless presentations and end of the year academic activities. Once again, I expect our district will rise to the top. Thanks to everyone who works so hard to make this happen.
This summer, our maintenance department will lead the continuation of work that our school board has committed to as we improve safety in our schools. We will finish our multiyear project of replacing doors and windows to improve our ability to fortify our buildings, we will continue our ongoing commitment to improving air quality in our schools, there will be ongoing professional development and review of emergency preparedness plans, and other safety reviews / improvements.
To the parents of our seniors at MHS…. Congratulations. Enjoy these next few weeks. You have made it. No matter what path your child is taking after high school, they are ready. I hear so many stories from our alumni and their families; our graduates do amazing things. Thank you for all your hard work over the years, I know it is not always easy.
Carl Gartley
Superintendent of Schools, RSU 18