FARMINGTON — Mount Blue High School social studies teacher Sam Dunbar was appointed interim assistant principal by the Regional School Unit 9 board Tuesday.

Dunbar will serve until a permanent assistant principal is hired. His annual salary will be $70,000. He joins interim Principal Bruce Mochamer.

Superintendent Tom Ward said the district will search for a permanent principal later this year.

Following a 20-minute executive session, the board unanimously approved a one-year contract, from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, for the district’s 17 cafeteria workers that gives them a 2 percent raise. Ward said that figure is in line with similar raises provided to other staff members.

The board also decided against filing a lawsuit against Stephen Blatt Architects of Portland in regards to the unusual amount of heat and light on the second floor of the Mallett Elementary School. The decision came after a legal opinion by the district’s lawyer.

Ward said the costs to file a suit could likely be as much as the cost of installing larger air conditioners and blocking some windows. He said the board built into the 2014-15 budget the estimated cost of $50,000 in anticipation of such a decision.

Several new professional staff were hired for the upcoming school year. They are: Erika Neal, pre-kindergarten, LeeAnn Crockett, day treatment, and Chlorissa Plaisted, kindergarten, all at Mallett Elementary School; Scott Dunbar, elementary music teacher, and Amy Graham, educational technician, Cascade Brook School; and Cheryl Walker, day treatment, at the Cape Cod Hill Elementary School.

In other matters, the board decided to pursue a $75,000 per year Gear-Up Grant offered through the Western Maine Educational Collaborative. If successful, it will help raise aspirations for Mount Blue Middle School students for five years.

Industry board member Mark Prentiss was re-elected chairman and Farmington representative Claire Andrews was re-elected vice chairwoman.