AUBURN – Popular singing groups begun in two Auburn elementary schools will outlast the controversy of their teacher and founder, accused pedophile James Raymond.

Raymond, 26, resigned Thursday, ending his five-year career with the city school system. Already, teachers within the Auburn School Department have volunteered to continue the musical instruction, interim Superintendent Tom Morrill said.

“We’re going to make every effort to make sure those are a go,” Morrill said. “People have stepped up. I can’t say enough about the importance of music in our programming.”

The music program headed by Raymond at Park Avenue Elementary and East Auburn Community schools had been very popular. Besides the routine music classes, Raymond created a chorus, chamber singers and an audition-only Broadway Kids Club.

Their fate seemed uncertain when Raymond was arrested Tuesday, charged with one count of unlawful sexual touching. Court papers that accompanied the arrest accused Raymond of groping beneath a young girl’s skirt.

His absence has been felt since allegations first surfaced on Oct. 24. School officials in Auburn placed Raymond on administrative leave the same day.

And Auburn leaders were not alone.

Raymond, who lives on Cook Street in Auburn, also worked as the assistant marching band director at Leavitt Area High School in Turner.

Raymond did not attend their season’s last performance on Saturday, Oct. 27.

“We didn’t have to do a thing,” said Darlene Burdin, superintendent for SAD 52, which includes the Turner schools.

Next summer, Leavitt’s marching band will look for someone else, Burdin said.

Raymond was a music instructor in Auburn’s recent National Anthem Project, which involved about 300 local students from elementary through high school, a project that earned the community a national “All-Star City” designation.

He also helped create the Central Maine Children’s Theatre Project and Central Maine Children’s Chorus.

The Sun Journal was unable to reach Raymond’s partner in the project, Lewiston High School choral director Rebecca Poppke.

In Auburn, the search will begin soon for a replacement, Morrill said.

Until one is found, librarian Shawna Vaillancourt has picked up leadership of the Broadway Kids Club.

English as a learning language teacher Chris Turcotte is directing the chorus and chamber singers.

The replacement process, determined in part by teacher contracts, will be identical to any other search and include interviews, background checks and reference calls, Morrill said.

“We’ll follow the employment practices that we have in place,” Morrill said. “We want to search and seek for the best person.”