LISBON – Shannon Welsh, superintendent of Union 30, is one of three finalists out of 13 applicants for school superintendent in Cape Elizabeth.
Although the possibility that Welsh might leave Union 30, which includes Durham and Lisbon, came as a surprise to some, Durham School Committee Chairman Jane Blais said Wednesday that she had written a letter of recommendation for Welsh about two months ago.
“I don’t think she was planning to leave, she was approached,” Blais said.
If Welsh were hired there, Blais said the union would begin the process of finding a replacement immediately and would establish a search committee.
Welsh has been at the helm of Union 30 for five years. According to a spokesman at the central office, she earns $78,000 a year, which is prorated between the two towns.
The Cape Elizabeth position is being filled by interim Superintendent Robert Lyman. He’s being paid $100,000, according to a spokesman at the Cape Elizabeth payroll department, but that figure could change during negotiations with a permanent superintendent, it was noted.
Welsh was scheduled to be at the Cape Elizabeth Town Council chambers Wednesday afternoon for a public “meet the candidate” session. Efforts to contact her Wednesday for comment were unsuccessful.
In an e-mail to the Durham and Lisbon school committees, which told them she is a finalist, Welsh said she submitted her application for the Cape Elizabeth position, “not because of any issues related to Durham or Lisbon, but because of the opportunities provided by the position” in Cape Elizabeth.
“I have not applied for and am not considering any other openings,” she told them in the e-mail. Applying for the Cape Elizabeth position “was an especially difficult decision for me because I believe both Durham and Lisbon have benefited from consistency in leadership during the past five years, however we have systems in place and good administrators and staff willing to continue to help make improvements in the years to come.”
The other finalists are Denison Gallaudet, superintendent in Richmond, and Alan Hawkins, superintendent in Wiscasset, who were scheduled for similar meet-the-candidate sessions Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
It is expected Cape Elizabeth will make a decision within the next two weeks.
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