BETHEL — Longtime SAD 44 employee and Telstar High School secretary Wendy Hanscom was chosen by the school board Monday night to head the district’s $1 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant.

Superintendent David Murphy said the federal grant is aimed at boosting student achievement through improving instructor and administrator evaluation techniques, and for teachers to develop learning objectives for each of their students.

He said the grant will be for four years, starting this school year.

Eight teacher-facilitators are working with small groups of staff in each of the schools to develop the program.

Scott Harrison of Maine Schools for Excellence, the organization that funneled the money to SAD 44, is expected to make a presentation at a late-January board meeting.

Hanscom will move from her office at the high school to the Central Office upstairs in the Norway Savings Bank building by late January. The district is searching for her replacement.

Her salary of about $32,000 will be paid by the grant.

In other matters, the board heard a presentation by four high school girls who attend Central Maine Community College classes in Auburn at no cost. Murphy said they drive themselves to the college and most return to participate in after-school activities.

Murphy also said the 20-year bond for the $4.9 million building project at Crescent Park Elementary School was paid off in November. He said the state paid for most of the project.

Following a closed session, the board extended Murphy’s contract through June 30, 2019, and boosted his salary by 3 percent per year for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. His salary is now just under $115,000.

Other benefits include permission to carry over some vacation days from the last school year to this school year, and pay him $75 per sick day for up to half the sick days he accumulates until he retires.

The board also granted three-year contracts to Central Office administrative assistant and human resources coordinator Robin Gundersen and Central Office accountant Cynthia Moxcey. Both will receive a 3 percent salary increase per year for school years 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16. The salary increase is retroactive to the beginning of the current school year.

The board also learned that high school senior Josef Holt-Andrews was one of three Maine students named All-Americans following the Foot Locker cross country nationals in San Diego, Calif., on Dec. 14. Holt-Andrews is the Class C state champion.

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