SABATTUS — School board directors approved Superintendent Jim Hodgkin’s new contract for fewer hours and less pay in a 5-2-1 vote Wednesday night and narrowly agreed to a new three-year contract for a group of other RSU 4 administrators.

Hodgkin, who has had one three-year contract and a one-year extension with the district, said he asked for reduced hours to devote more time to other educational efforts. Hodgkin is president of the Western Maine Educational Consortium.

“My intent really is to be more comfortable with having time to promote customized learning within the region and not feeling guilty about taking RSU 4’s time to do that,” Hodgkin said Thursday.

Directors voted 5-2-1 on a three-year contract for 195 days a year, 25 percent fewer days than the full-time equivalent of 260. Starting with the new contract in July, his salary will drop from $106,000 to $91,000, a 14 percent decrease.

Rebecca Shedd and Scott Weeks voted against the contract. Joan Thomas was absent. New member Amedeo Lauria abstained.

Hodgkin said he understood that at least one director was unhappy that he asked for a 25 percent reduction in time but I didn’t take a 25 percent reduction in pay.

“My intent was to continue to do the same level of work in fewer days,” he said.

No one else will formally pick up that time off, and his days off will be fluid, Hodgkin said. He plans to remain available to respond to any issues.

“We’ll reassess partway through next year to see if they feel like the district’s being short-changed, if I’m able to do what I hope I can do,” Hodgkin said. “If not, we’ll maybe renegotiate the contract midstream. I love everything that we’re doing educationally, so I’m excited about continuing to do that.”

The board also approved a new administrators contract by a 4-3-1 vote, with Robert English, Weeks and Shedd voting against. Lauria abstained. That contract represents about 10 people, Hodgkin said, including building principals, the director of guidance, the athletic director and the technology coordinator. The new contract gives the group less than a 1.5 percent raise, cumulatively, over three years.

Board Chairman Robert Gayton said he was surprised by the close vote; directors had seemed to largely agree to the terms in early discussions.

“Our administrative team has stepped up many times and helped the budget by taking no increase in their last contract, so I was kind of befuddled about that, really,” Gayton said. “I’m very happy with the administrative team; they go up and above constantly. An administrator in any district starts their day early in the morning and sometimes with after-school things going on, don’t get home until 8:30, 9 o’clock. If we were to pay our administrators by the hour, I think people would have a very eye-opening experience.”

He said he was happy to see Hodgkin continue with the district.

“The work that he’s done with customized learning has been spectacular,” Gayton said. “And the way he’s moved the district along, as far as the budget process goes, has been very good.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com

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