Public Information and Announcements

After consulting again with other districts in the region and local authorities, we have made the decision to again cancel school. We recognize the impact on families that a school cancellation has. We will be meeting throughout the day remotely with staff and will be planning for our return to school on Monday. As one of our law enforcement partners put it, taking one extra day in this situation allows good people to do their jobs, and for our staff to be ready to support our schools when we return, it also allows us to support our communities to the south who have been so impacted by this tragedy.

The past 24 hours have been incredibly tragic and will have a lasting impact on our state and communities. Our hearts go out to the residents of Lewiston and the many people in the surrounding area and throughout the state who have been impacted by this tragedy. We commend the bravery of our law enforcement officers and state/local officials who work to ensure our safety, and we thank them for their ongoing support and communication.

Over the course of the day today our district crisis team and administrators have met, reviewed plans, and considered feedback on how best to handle the return of students and the need to return to school as soon as is safely possible.

Date/Time: August 17, 2023 at 10:00 AM

Location: 40 Heselton Street, Skowhegan, Maine

What: Groundbreaking Event for New Consolidated Elementary School

Agenda: School officials and guests will speak briefly about the project and its benefits to our kids and community, followed by a groundbreaking shovel ceremony with pictures.

Who is invited: Everyone in our community, especially our students are encouraged to attend.

Note: Along with snacks and refreshments for all in attendance, areas for younger students will be available (sandboxes, etc.) for play. Additionally, ceremonial hard hats will be provided for all students who attend the event.

The State Board of Education voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the Design and Funding Approval phase of the project, giving the $75,338,985 project approval to move forward. The project, which is more than 95% state funded, includes a local-only fundraising effort coordinated through KVCAP with the help of an amazing team of local project supporters. As of April, the fundraising effort has raised roughly $2.4 million dollars! This fundraising effort will significantly reduce any impact the project may have on local taxpayers. If you or those you know are interested in supporting the project (every gift helps), visit the fundraising page at: https://www.kvcap.org/building-better-beginnings/

With unanimous State Board Approval, the project will be moving forward quickly. The district will begin accepting bids from contractors starting on April 13th, with Bid Openings scheduled for May 18th. The project anticipates breaking ground by July, and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. For further information visit: https://www.msad54.org/building-project

The district anticipates making drawings available on or about April 13th with bid opening occurring on May 18, 2023. Interested subcontractors or pre-qualified general contractors should review the following notice: http://bit.ly/3nNFO8Z

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March, 29th.

The MSAD 54 Board of Directors voted to approve the following name for the new state-funded elementary school in Skowhegan: The Margaret Chase Smith Community School. Although there were numerous suggestions for the name, many of which were connected to the community and our history, the Board chose to support the overwhelming first choice of the public by supporting the name, which represented 72% of the votes cast from 2,333 responses.

The project, which began in 2017 with the application to the state, has been a multi-year collaborative effort with all involved. District voters supported the $75,338,985 project overwhelmingly at referendum in June of last year. Over 94% of the project is funded directly by the state, with 5.9% being funded locally. Thanks to the amazing support of our community local fundraising efforts, which began this past fall, have already raised over $2.3 million dollars toward the project. Anyone wishing to donate can visit the following website: https://www.kvcap.org/building-better-beginnings/

The District anticipates breaking ground on the project this summer with an anticipated building opening in the fall of 2025.

For more details visit our building project page: https://www.msad54.org/building-project