BUXTON — Lindsey Atkinson is challenging incumbent Arthur Payeur Jr. for a three-year Buxton seat on the SAD 6 board.
The district includes Buxton, Frye Island, Hollis, Limington and Standish.
Arthur A. Payeur Jr.
Age: 55
Family: married, three children
Occupation: overnight supervisor, Lowe’s in Portland
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Southern Maine, 1991
Political/civic experience: SAD 6 board, one term; Cub Scout master; Scout master; Little League coach; Buxton Budget Committee, three years
Lindsey A. Atkinson
Age: 33
Family: Married, two children
Occupation: Stay-at-home mother
Education: Bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, 2008
Political/civic experience: York County Republican Committee, longtime delegate; Buxton Republican Committee, secretary, vice chair and former chair; delegate to state conventions; worked on various local and state campaigns
Website/social media: facebook.com/Lindsey-Atkinson-for-MSAD-6-School-Board-101737428243885/
Payeur has served one term on the board. Atkinson is a mother of two children in the district.
The election is set for July 14. Polls at Buxton Town Hall, 185 Portland Road, will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Atkinson
Lindsey Atkinson sees budget appropriations as a top issue and wants to ensure as much money as possible ends up in classrooms.
“I’d always like to see a well-balanced budget and be a part of a committee that supports its educators while also keeping in mind the taxpayers they represent,” Atkinson said.
She said as the mother of two children in the school district, she has “a keen insight into the current and future needs of the district’s students.”
She is concerned that some students have been “marginalized,” such as those who are not vaccinated as one example.
“Marginalized students is a growing concern for myself and many other mothers in the district. Because of this, I felt compelled to run for this seat so that children like ours have a voice and that they continue to receive the education to which they are entitled,” she said.
She believes the gifted and talented program is underfunded on the elementary and middle school levels.
“I would like to see our school district put more energy into STEM programs and anything that encourages a skilled trade heading into the high school level,” Atkinson said.
Payeur
Payeur sees the budget as a major concern while trying to keep it to a 3% increase. Projections indicate the district likely will be down $1 million in state subsidy from the previous amount.
“We can’t tax people out of their houses,” Payeur said.
He’s waiting to see what the state subsidy will be and then decide “what to cut and what to keep.”
“As chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee, we are working as a team to try and figure out what to do,” Payeur said.
He said distance learning cost $400,000 to feed students this year and that the district could face additional busing costs this fall because of state pandemic guidelines that are unknown now.
Another concern, he said, are the facilities that need updating. He helped shepherd the new high school science facility into reality.
“We just did the science lab for $850K that took years to get through, ” Payeur said.
He advocates long-range plans to prioritize repairs of facilities and noted the next board will look at a possible school consolidation for
elementary schools in Standish.
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