By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer
 
The Biddeford teacher who the state said improperly provided test information to her students is the daughter of a school committee member. 
The state threw out Biddeford Middle School’s 2009 eighth-grade Maine Educational Assessment science test scores after an investigation of how the test was administered.
Mayor and committee chairman Joanne Twomey said there is no indication board member Peggy Bean influenced the investigation into her daughter or has discussed the situation with school officials.  Bean’s daughter is Barbara Fortier, an eighth-grade science teacher awarded a Presidential Award of Excellence in 2007.
State and school officials have not named Fortier and say the issue is a personnel matter. Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli would not confirm whether Fortier is employed by the school district, receiving benefits or teaching this year.  The school this month advertised for a one-year eighth-grade science teacher.
Repeated attempts to reach Fortier for comment were unsuccessful.
Twomey said it is her “understanding” that Fortier is not teaching in the district this year, but declined to comment on what action was taken during the committee’s Aug. 25 executive session when the test scores were explained.
 She said action was taken against the teacher but could not say what the action was because it is a personnel matter.  School officials took the action against the teacher, but the school committee was not asked to vote on it, she said.
 
David Connerty-Marin, department of education spokesman, said the state launched an investigation after the March MEA test to see how the test was administered at the middle school and to see if the test scores were valid. The determination was they were not, he said. A district investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to school officials.
Connerty-Marin said the teacher took part in a review of test questions before the test was administered to students across the state. Teachers chosen to review questions met in Augusta and looked at test questions on computers connected to the Internet. He said teachers at future sessions will not have access to the Internet when they review test questions to advise the state if they align with learning standards.
School committee member Laura Seaver said she feels strongly Fortier should no longer be employed by the district.
“My immediate reaction was that someone should be terminated,” she said. “It affects the entire district.”
Seaver said she thinks the situation was avoidable.  School officials this summer told the school committee about problems with the scores and that there were ongoing investigations, but committee members were not provided more details until the Aug. 25 meeting, she said.
Seaver said several school committee members pressed school officials during the Aug. 25 meeting for more details during the presentation of test results from across the district. The eighth-grade science scores were discussed in executive session because school officials said it is a personnel matter.
School board members were not told the name of the teacher at the meeting, though Seaver learned on her own of Fortier’s involvement in the investigation. She said it is not unusual for no name to be given in connection with a personnel matter, and finding which teacher was involved in the investigation did not change her opinion.
“I’m not sure it makes a difference,” she said.
Though they expect to address the situation further at a future meeting, Seaver said she and other school committee members are upset by the lack of communication with school officials, which she said is not isolated to this case. School board members Cythnia McSorley and Jane Kircher declined to comment. Board members Daniel Boucher, Anthony Michaud and Nathan Mills could not be reached for comment.
School Committee Chairman Twomey said the committee has had issues with communication in the past with school officials, but members are working to improve the situation. She said Poli generally keeps personnel matters “close to the vest” to protect everyone involved, but is always willing to provide answers to questions from the committee.
“Anything you ask, you’ll get an answer to,” she said.
Twomey said she also thinks Poli has handled the situation properly and without influence from any school committee members.
“I think Sarah has followed everything she is supposed to do,” she said. “She couldn’t look the other way.”
Seaver said she is concerned that there may be a conflict of interest with Peggy Bean.
“There’s a lot of questions about if things are being handled differently because the teacher is Peggy Bean’s daughter,” she said.
 
Bean said she feels strongly that her role on the committee has had no bearing on how the school district responded to the situation.
“She got no special treatment because she [is] my daughter,” she said.
Bean, who was sick and did not attend the Aug. 25 school committee meeting, said she has not discussed the situation with anyone, including teachers, administrators and fellow school committee members. Though she has been friends with Poli for 30 years and they ride to school committee meetings together, Bean said they have not talked about the situation.
“I’m not going to get involved in it.  It’s not up to me,” she said.
Bean said she does not think her daughter’s name should be made public until the situation is fully resolved.
“Put that name in the paper and you’re dead, believe me,” she said when asked to comment on her daughter’s involvement.
Bean said she does not feel the state’s investigation is complete, though Connerty-Marin said the state concluded its investigation last summer.  Bean said she thinks the situation will end when the status of Fortier’s teaching certification is resolved. Connerty-Marin said the education department cannot confirm if it is reviewing a teacher’s certification because that is confidential.
Connerty-Marin said teacher certification is required to teach in Maine.  Teachers are first given a provisional teaching certificate and then are certified two years later. Teachers must provide information about education and training, and “furnish evidence of good moral character.”
“It’s a fairly broad condition. Obviously anything that affects the health and safety of a student would be grounds for action,” Connerty-Marin said.
Connerty-Marin could not provide information about how often teachers are investigated or how many certifications are revoked or suspended, citing state law that prohibits the release of that information. He said not all investigations lead to action and all are reviewed on an individual basis and in context by the department’s lawyer.
As of Monday, Fortier is certified to teach general elementary education in the state through July 2012, Connerty-Marin said.
Biddeford Middle School Principal Charles Lomonte said the situation with the test scores is an “isolated incident” and not representative of how the school operates. He said a letter dated July 29 was sent to parents of all students along with their MEA results. Letters to parents of eighth graders also said there were no science test scores due to irregularities. Lomonte said he had a “minimal” response from parents who seemed “indifferent” at that point.
 
Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.