FARMINGTON — The RSU 9 Board of Directors voted Tuesday to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the RSU 78 School Board in Rangeley to use a school bus.

The Rangeley bus and the driver stay in the area after they drop off students at the Foster Career and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington.

The RSU 78 School Board finds it is more economical to have the bus stay in the area until it is time to bring students home, Superintendent Tom Ward said.

The agreement allows RSU 9 to use the bus and driver to drive Foster Tech students to field experiences and off-site programs during the day.

RSU 9 will pay $1.50 a mile for the use of the bus.

Prior to the board’s approval, Foster Tech Director Glenn Kapiloff said that students in the certified nursing program need to travel to Franklin Memorial Hospital or the Sandy River Center, both in Farmington.

Many of the students currently drive their own vehicles to the sites, but that is not the preferred method of transportation, he said. Sometimes the RSU 73 bus from the Jay area also is available to transport students.

The use of the Rangeley bus would let students go as a group to get their clinical skills, he said.

Both school districts will keep track of the mileage.

The RSU 78 Board of Directors has already approved the agreement, Ward said.

In other business, Ward announced that a new administrative assistant has been hired to assist him and Leanne Condon, director of curriculum/assistant superintendent.

Kathryn McAninch of Jay will be able to start after the holidays in early January, Ward said.

McAninch has 24 years of experience in administrative support, according to her resume. She replaces former assistant Dan Gazette, who retired in October.

The School Board voted to appoint Bonita Tompkins as a half-time business education teacher at Mt. Blue Campus.

Ward also updated the board on other personnel matters.

He accepted resignations from Heidi MacIsaac, an education technician in prekindergarten at the Mallett School, and Amanda Butterfield as a bus driver/custodian.

New educational technicians hired were Abigail Gilbert at Mt. Blue Middle School, Kevin Quinn-Kelly at Mt. Blue High School and Sierra Medling and Allison Woodcock, both at Cascade Brook School in Farmington.

dperry@sunjournal.com