SULLIVAN — It was business as usual at Sumner Memorial High School this week — at least on the surface — following official word that the school is one of 10 “persistently lowest-achieving schools” in the state.

The good news is Sumner is eligible to apply for a share of $12 million in federal school improvement grants.

The bad news, by most accounts, is any of the three options available require replacing Principal Michael Eastman.

“One of the unfortunate aspects of this is the targeting of staff and administration that may be doing all that they could be doing,” said Bill Webster, superintendent of Regional School Unit 24 (RSU 24).

Eastman was appointed principal at Sumner in 2004 after three years as assistant principal.

The School Board, which represents 12 municipalities stretching from the Ellsworth area to Steuben, will discuss a course of action at its meeting March 16 at Ellsworth High School at 6:30 p.m.

Tier I Schools (Title I schools that have not made progress according to the No Child Left Behind Act for two or more years):

• Deer Isle-Stonington High School, Deer Isle
• Governor James B. Longley Elementary School, Lewiston
• Houlton High School
• Riverton Elementary School, Portland
• Sumner Memorial High School, Sullivan

Tier II Schools (High schools that are eligible for Title I funds but whose districts are using those funds in other schools:)

• Carrabec High School, North Anson
• Hodgdon High School
• Lake Region High School, Naples
• Livermore Falls High School
• Madison Area High School

The following are the three options under which Maine schools can apply for funding.

Turnaround Model

Replace the principal and rehire no more than 50 percent of the staff.

School Closure

Close a school and send the students to another school in the district.

Transformation Model

Replace the principal; evaluate teachers and administrators based largely on student improvement; reward high performing administrators, teachers and staff and remove those who are not effective; recruit high quality staff; provide ongoing staff development; implement a curriculum that meets identified student needs and state academic standards; spend more time teaching core academic subjects; expand the school day, week or year; add more time for student enrichment and teacher collaboration; engage the families and community in the school; give the school flexibility and support in staff, time, calendar and budget to implement changes.

For more education news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.

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