SRTC student demonstrates welding skills in the Welding and Metal Fabrication program. Photo: Matt Petermann, SRTC Director
By Tiffani Bourque
From expanding career and technical education opportunities to taking on new responsibilities for some of Sanford’s youngest learners, Sanford School’s priorities for the coming year reflect growth for the district, according to Monday’s school committee meeting.
One of the evening’s most significant actions was the committee’s unanimous approval of a new Welding and Metal Fabrication program at Massabesic High School. The program will operate as a satellite of Sanford Regional Technical Center and plans to open for the 2027-28 school year, pending approval from the Maine Department of Education.
SRTC Director Matt Peterman said demand for the center’s existing welding program has exceeded available space. Establishing an additional program at Massabesic would allow more Massabesic students to participate closer to home while opening additional seats at the Sanford location for students throughout the region.
The expansion comes as SRTC continues to grow, said Peterman. Preliminary enrollment stood at 813 students, compared to 778 last year, with over a quarter of that total being Sanford students. Peterman said the center now offers 26 programs and sees career and technical education as an increasingly important piece of addressing Maine’s workforce needs.
“We’re facing a bit of a workforce crisis here in the state of Maine, and it’s across the board,” Peterman told the committee. “We’re working to fill that gap.”
Students are also finding success beyond Sanford. SRTC’s Future Farmers of America floriculture team earned the opportunity to represent Maine at the national competition in Indianapolis, while Sanford students earned a national championship at SkillsUSA.
“Second year in a row that little Sanford, Maine scored a national championship,” Peterman said of the championship. “That is pretty impressive. I’m very proud.”
Growth, however, also brought discussion about resources. Committee members and administrators discussed whether Maine’s current CTE funding formula adequately supports centers that continue to expand. Peterman explained that some staffing allowances stop increasing past certain enrollment thresholds, even as the center serves a growing number of students
The committee also heard an update on Sanford’s transition of special education services for children ages 3 to 5 from Child Development Services to the school district as a result of legislation passed in 2024 that moved the responsibility for services to children with disabilities to public schools.
“This is a big task that we’ve embarked on, to say the least,” Assistant Superintendent Steve Bussiere told the committee, noting that Sanford has the largest cohort in southern Maine. “Currently, we are serving 136 3- to 5-year-olds. So just to let that number sink in a little bit. One hundred thirty-six.”
The district has fully staffed three new special education classrooms—one at each elementary school—and is working with 17 outside providers, including childcare programs, specialized programs, speech therapists and occupational therapists.
Elementary principals also shared updates from Sanford Pride, Margaret Chase Smith and Carl J. Lamb schools, with a common focus emerging around inclusion, relationships, family engagement and keeping students connected to their classrooms.
Carl J. Lamb Principal Sherri Baron summed up that focus simply: “At CJL, we want everyone to feel that they belong and that they matter, and that they’re safe,” adding that the goal is for students to “learn and grow and succeed together and have some fun along the way.”
Enrollment across the district remains relatively stable. Superintendent Matt Nelson reported an attending student count of 3,188, less than a .05% decrease from the 2025-26 school year. A more detailed enrollment report is expected in October.
The Sanford School Committee will hold its next meeting on Monday, Oct. 19.
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