The search is still under way for a new location for the School Union 29 superintendent’s office.

Superintendent Nina Schlikin told the School Committee Tuesday night that negotiations for the Rail Station Restaurant property in Mechanic Falls hit some snags and, as a result, the location is no longer under consideration.

With the elimination of its first choice for relocating the office, the search committee still has one location in Minot, two in Mechanic Falls and at least one in Poland on its list.

Schlikin identified three properties as possible locations: a 2-acre lot adjacent to the Minot Consolidated School, the Nickelodeon property in Mechanic Falls and the Harry Busch property on Route 121 in Poland.

Minot Teachers Association representative Jeanne Edmunds told the committee that teachers have voted to ratify the contract as last offered by the School Committee. Without copies of the final version of the contract at hand, committee members asked for time to read and review the draft of the contract and agreed to meet next Monday night to vote on accepting it.

The contract covers the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years.

Three eighth-graders, Ken Bundy, Josh Quint and Zack Short gave a PowerPoint presentation seeking School Committee support for a plan to provide insurance for the school’s laptop computers that would enable students to take them home with them.

The presentation surveyed what the students accomplished with their laptops last year and then presented ideas for raising the funds necessary to pay for the insurance, estimated at $5,000.

After consulting with Principal Don Bilodeau, the committee decided that a portion of the Rural Small Schools Grant should be used to provide insurance to allow the students to take home the computers.

The School Committee approved hiring Jean Nale as part-time gifted-and-talented teacher. Nale is teaching art half-time and hiring her will make her a full-time employee.

Schlikin also notified the board that Support Services Director Frank D’Agostino has submitted his resignation. Schlikin has already placed advertisements for his replacement.