DIXFIELD – Technology topped agenda discussions at Monday night’s delayed SAD 21 School Board meeting at Dirigo Middle School.

Superintendent Thomas Ward’s nomination of Steve Grant as a 9-12 technology support and integration specialist sparked an impromptu executive session by the seven directors present.

Before that, a move by Canton Director Ben McCollister to table the matter until the board’s Aug. 9 meeting failed for lack of a second.

After a 20-minute closed-door session, directors voted 4-1, with two abstentions, to hire Grant.

Other personnel hirings or changes approved by 7-0 votes were:

• Timothy W. Kelly as district curriculum coordinator.

• Jeff Druzba as K-8 technology support and integration specialist.

• Sarah Adley as a half-time gifted-and-talented instructor for the district.

• Ben Bridges, a former SAD 21 social studies teacher, as a half-time technology teacher at the middle school.

• Ember Broscius as an English teacher at Dirigo High School.

• Moving Sharon Pelletier from hourly pay to a classified contract. Pelletier serves SAD 21 as its special education secretary.

• Combining the positions for director of maintenance and director of transportation.

The second reading of the proposed iBook take-home policy was tabled to the Aug. 9 meeting.

Ward updated the board on the progress of the state’s ninth grade laptop program.

Earlier this year, Gov. John Baldacci directed the Maine Department of Education to “explore every possible avenue” to move the Maine Learning Technology Initiative forward for next year’s ninth-graders.

Ward told directors Monday night that the project might not be achieved. Apple, he said, told Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron that it would lease 5,400 Apple 12-inch iBook G4 laptops to the state for $300 each per year for four years.

But the state is only halfway to meeting that magic number, which must be met by Saturday, July 31, for it to get the laptops, he added.

Monday night’s 6 p.m. meeting was initially called off at 6:45 p.m. due to the lack of a quorum. But five minutes later, a seventh director arrived, and a director who had already left was called back. The meeting then began at 7 p.m. The meeting had been postponed from July 12.