In September 2027, Cumberland and North Yarmouth preschoolers, kindergarteners and first graders will lug their backpacks through the door of the Carolyn F. Small School, currently under construction.

The district’s board of directors decided on April 2 to name the new Maine School Administrative District 51 building after Small, a district ed tech for 35 years and local historian with a longstanding commitment to the community’s children.

This is one of countless decisions the school community has to make throughout the One Campus Project, as MSAD 51 prepares for the redistribution of grades across multiple schools in over a year.

Currently, Mabel I. Wilson School houses pre-K through third grade, and two separate Greely Middle Schools are homes to grades 4-5 and grades 6-8. Driven by increasing enrollment, the One Campus Project is building a new school for pre-K through grade 1, now called the Carolyn F. Small School. As “The Small School” opens in 2027, grades 2-4 will then share Mabel I. Wilson and 5-8 will be in a combined middle school.

The new grouping of grades sparks numerous questions about logistics and educational philosophy. How will library books be distributed across the schools? What needs to be done to merge the special education departments? What should a playground for grades 2-4 look like?

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the MSAD 51 community is working on answering these questions.

FIRST, WHO WILL WORK WHERE?

When the $53.5 million One Campus Project passed in 2024, on its second try, district staff knew they had to hit the ground running to prepare for the transition. They made a tight roadmap to September 2027, said Superintendent Jeff Porter.

“It is a lot of work,” said Porter. “We’ve been on track to do what we need to do.”

First to decide was which staff members would work in which schools. Starting last spring, staff members with shifting roles ranked the positions at the new or adapted schools that they were interested in. Porter said the administration gave a majority their first choice, and most staff got one of their top three selections.

Other roles had to be created, as the new schools require more staff and will serve an increasing number of students. In the district’s proposed budget, Porter requested an additional assistant principal position, and foresees additional office staff added to the fiscal year 2028 budget as well.

TALKING ABOUT TRANSITIONS

With the staffing of each new grade configuration determined, transition committees were formed for each of the three new grade divisions. Teachers, district administration and parents have been meeting monthly to discuss getting ready for September 2027.

There’s a lot to cover since they started in November. Questions to address include: How will staffing work with some grades now starting an hour earlier? What is developmentally appropriate between grades 2-4 versus 4-5? How will report card systems change? Where will the new desks and chairs come from that are the right size for the students? How will school nurses give more privacy to older students now in their schools?

As a fifth grade teacher, Gervais knew that she and her colleagues would be among the most impacted by the school transition, as they move from the lower school to join grades 6-8.

“As a representative of the fifth grade group, it was important for us to have a voice in how this is all going to work as we move forward,” she said.

“(The staff) are so passionate and protective over their current students and future students,” said Edwards. “The level of care that these people are bringing to their work, I mean ‘reassuring’ is not even a strong enough word as a parent.”

LOOKING TO 2027

With a year and a half left before the school transitions, there are countless more decisions to iron out. Transition committee members and district leadership are confident they can get everything done in time.

“Our administrators have done an amazing job lifting this work with our staff, especially to get us to a place where I think we really are in lockstep,” said Porter.

While the transition committees are working to limit the disruptions of this shift, some staff admitted the change will bring sadness. Starting in September 2027, some will not be working with staff they have come to be alongside for decades, of which many are close friends and strong teammates, said Gervais.

“This is going to be challenging, but we’re going to hopefully move through it in as positive a way as we possibly can,” said Gervais.

“At the forefront is what is best for students, their families, and staff, what’s going to serve our community,” she said.

Kilbride-Dupuis’ son is a fifth grade literacy teacher currently in a classroom down the hall from her. In 2027, he will no longer be able to pop in and ask her to get coffee.

“It’s kind of a loss, but it’s also, change is good, right?” said Kilbride-Dupuis.

Transition committee meetings are overwhelmingly positive, said participants. While breaking from routine can be difficult, they are inspired by the chance to picture the future of the district, said Kilbride-Dupuis.

“I’m excited for 2027.”