5 Ell
Wells, ME 04090

I was happy to see someone else finally leave a review that reflects the current status of WES. It inspired me to share my experience, which hasn’t been good. Individual teachers are great, but the district is in a downward spiral. I fully support the teachers, but they are working in a difficult situation.We moved here because of the schools and that was a mistake. I wish I knew then what I know now because we would have moved elsewhere. Your experience here depends entirely on your last name or how close you are to a member of administration/ the school board. Someone else mentioned that this is also the case with hiring and that seems to be true as well. This school in particular burns through administrators incredibly quickly. Central office does as well in key positions. The average lifespan for a principal at WES seems to be 2-5 years. We’ve actually had a few great ones who have left the district, which was terrible for the school. The last two to leave were both great with my children. They were so supportive and kind. Wells lost out when both of those people left. I reached out to a few people who have left in recent years to see what was going on (teachers, support staff, and administrators fromthroughout the district). Everyone was very professional, but there are some common themes - intimidation, an ineffective school board that doesn’t supervise the superintendent, favoritism of people with ties to the right people, and hiring based on salary instead of qualifications. Pay attention to summer hires as well. Critical postings are always made after the last school board meeting of the year and then magically the friend of someone in power gets a job they aren’t qualified for over the summer.I hope this review helps someone else have a more clear picture of the district than we had when we moved here. Again, I fully support the great teacher. They are trying their best but the system seems to be broken at the top and nobody is willing to try to change that.

My children have had a miserable time in the schools here. I know others have had the same experience but are afraid to speak out due to the fear that their kid(s) will be retaliated against. It seems like this climate of fear and intimidation is how the district office and the school board like to run things because it means they never have to handle difficult questions or conversations with the public.

WJHS probably provides a slightly better experience for kids than WES and WHS, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Middle school is a difficult time for many kids, but the consensus from my kids and their friends seems to be that teachers do not work to make meaningful connections with students. Staffing levels are also a major concern. The Board and Superintendent always say everything is fine with staffing levels. They have no clue because they are so far removed from what is actually happening. If you really talk to people in the school - or parents - you’ll find that comes at the expense of students requiring special education services. These critical staff members are often pulled from their assigned students to cover other things within the school. It’s sad that those in charge are either unaware of this, or are so consumed with appearances that they actively push an in accurate narrative.