BATH

Regional School Unit 1 directors signed and approved warrants Monday for the district’s new costsharing formula, which it approved last month.

Three public meetings on the new formula, based on cost per pupil, have been scheduled.

The first, a workshop, is 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Woolwich Central School. The second, a public hearing, is set for Bath Middle School, 6 to 7 p.m. March 5. Another workshop is slated for 6 to 7 p.m. March 12 at West Bath School.

The district’s shifting costsharing formula has pitted member towns against each other in court. West Bath filed suit last month seeking $1.9 million in costs it says it is owed under a prior formula.

Directors on Monday night also gave unanimous approval for Timothy Harkins to serve a third year as board chairman.

Harkins is the District 3 director, representing Arrowsic, Bath and Woolwich.

Stephen August of Bath, meanwhile, is the new vice chairman. August, who succeeded Vice Chairwoman Julie Rice on the board, is the District 5 director representing Bath and Phippsburg.

Both votes were by unanimous decision.

After the election of officers, the board was enlightened by four Dike Newell School students and their first-grade teacher, Wanda Brown. Twins Nadia and Gwendolyn Panetski, Fritz Bertlesman and Tristan Kidwell all displayed on a screen how iPads have helped in their education.

“These iPads do have a place with young children in the classroom,” Brown told the board. “It is amazing what we can get done in the classroom with just one iPad.”

Bertlesman went to the iPad three times and displayed on the screen what he and his classmates have learned.

First, he showed pages from his book “Fred,” opened up the pages on the screen and showed how he was able to do revisions and editing.

Kidwell also showed three class projects, including “Motion Math, Hungry Fish.” The fish swam around with the number 13 inside it. Kidwell selected numbers that add up to 13, which made the fish fatter. Had he made a mistake, the fish would have shrunk.

Gwendolyn Panetski displayed a site word and spelling program. She clicked on a star, which pronounced the word “the.” Then she wrote the word on the screen and spelled it to the board.

The iPad functions were accompanied by music and animal characters that teachers said enhanced students’ learning experience.

lgrard@timesrecord.com

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