Four candidates are vying for two available seats on the Windham-Raymond school board amid continuing tension in RSU 14 around controversial books in the school library and parental involvement in deciding school materials.
Marge Govoni, Joseph Kellner, Dawn Miller and Justin Whynot, all Windham residents, are on the Nov. 7 ballot. Miller and Whynot did not respond to multiple Lakes Region Weekly requests for interviews for this story.
Whynot has been active in opposing books with content about sexuality and gender identity, such as “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, that are in the Windham High School library. Both he and Miller are among a group of vocal parents who have advocated for the removal of “Gender Queer” and similar books.
Govoni
Govoni
Govoni, 82 and a retired manager at Textron, first joined the school board in 2008, but most recently stepped in to replace Pete Heanssler who resigned. She is now running to officially hold that seat. The other available seat is now held by Kate Brix, who is not seeking relection.
Govoni discussed the controversy around some school library books that has led to heated debates at recent RSU 14 meetings.
“Books have been challenged or tried to be banned for several years,” Govoni said. She argued that “we have an obligation to serve all students; legally, these books should not be prohibited in schools … These books are federally and state protected. We have to be careful not to violate statutes.”
The issue persists because “people are just not happy with the answer,” she said.
“I think there’s too much animosity. It’s hard to get to people to have any type of conversation when they’re dug in.”
The school board, as “guardians of education,” must “constantly evaluate what’s helping our students,” she said.
“We need to focus on education and safety of the children,” Govoni said. “We have a lot of children and staff who don’t feel safe because of everything going on in the country.”
Two of her other priorities if elected, she said, are getting students academically back on track after the pandemic and hiring more ed techs to assist students with cognitive disabilities.
Govoni, registered as an independent voter, has seven grandchildren who have gone through the school system in Windham, with three currently enrolled.
Kellner
Newcomer Joseph Kellner, 38, chief executive officer of LifeFlight of Maine, said he’s running for school board because “I think that I can be helpful to bringing some consensus and perhaps middle ground to the group.”
Kellner
Transparency and listening are important to finding a solution to the issue of removing books from the library, he said.
“I think it’s absolutely true that there’s material in the school that’s of a graphic nature,” he said, but added that “the school, through its operational autonomy, gets to pick materials and curriculum throughout the school, including the library, that they think will be beneficial to the students.”
“As far as curriculum selection, we’ve really got to take politics out of it,” he said.
“I am sincere in saying that my job and my role is to really listen and learn as much as possible and make an informed decision. Generally with books, if it’s important to one student, I put a lot of weight in that. At the same time, there is a line, but what we haven’t been able to do … is to find the line.
“It’s not a simple answer, unfortunately … it’s about listening and finding common ground,” he said.
Another of his top issues is recruitment and retention of teachers.
“There are shortages of people coming into the profession,” he said.
He also said he’s had parents of students with cognitive disabilities tell him their children’s needs are not getting met in the district, “and that’s something we need to work on.”
Kellner, who is not enrolled in any political party, has two children in RSU 14 schools, which in part inspired him to get involved in decisions made on the school board, he said.
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