By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Four-year-old Clara Parker spent close to two hours Monday working on a variety of art projects while she and her mother, Laura Parker, sat in a meeting with Cape Elizabeth Superintendent Alan Hawkins and Councilor Anne Swift-Kayatta.

The topic of discussion: the future of Pond Cove Elementary school and the Cape Elizabeth school system as a whole. It was the second of nine school-focused forums Hawkins is hoping will provide direction for curriculum and programs in all Cape Elizabeth’s schools in future academic years. 

“I’ve been thinking about [public forums] for a long time,” Hawkins said. “Part of me asks ‘Am I going to cause more trouble?’ But, you know, the more input we have the better we are.”

Hawkins said one major change he has dealt with personally is the development of a formal, written curriculum for all grade levels – a task that has fallen on his shoulders. A full-time curriculum director was cut from the budget following the town’s second school budget validation referendum earlier this year.

“We’re looking at moving away from the old factors of teachers shutting their door and doing their own thing,” he said. 

Opening the doors of communication was a concern for those who attended the forum; Laura Parker, who also has a child in the fourth grade, said she was looking forward to seeing the results of the curriculum plan  since she felt parents currently “don’t get a big picture” of their children’s education. Hawkins said the science-based curriculum could be presented to the school board for implementation as early as next week.

“[Parents] want to know what [students] are going to be doing next,” Parker said. “I would like to see some people from the community review the curriculum. There’s so much more that these kids can learn, I don’t know why it’s not being taught.”

Resident and a parent of kindergarten and fourth grade students Helen Gorgas Goulding said she had recently moved to Cape Elizabeth from Portland and was surprised she hadn’t connected with other parents.

“I feel like [Cape Elizabeth] is not as supportive of working parents,” she said, pointing out that the school association meetings were regularly scheduled for 9 a.m. and the current “half-day” scheduling at the kindergarten put financial pressure on parents. “It’s hard to meet other parents, but I haven’t begun to volunteer yet so I expect that will change when I do.”

Laura Parker said she also hoped Hawkins’ updated curriculum plan could include a “gifted and talented” program, as her own child had “not been challenged” up to the eighth grade. Hawkins said a plan for a gifted and talented program had been submitted to the Department of Education although he was not sure how supportive the community would be in approving funding for any additional costs associated with the addition.

“My sense when I got here was Cape Elizabeth would not have a [gifted and talented] program just because there are so many students who perform at such high levels,” he said.

Forums for middle school parents were scheduled for Wednesday and high school parents can speak with Hawkins Oct. 17 at either 7:30 a.m., 4 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. at the Community Center.