AUBURN — The School Committee on Wednesday night approved former Edward Little High School physical education teacher Todd Sampson as an assistant principal. 

Sampson, who graduated from Edward Little, is athletic director at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham and will take over as ELHS assistant principal in mid-January.

He will replace Jim Horn, who will become the school’s aspirations specialist.

Having an aspirations specialist at the high school “really supports our Vision 2020 plan and customized learning,” Superintendent Katy Grondin said. Horn will work to create community-based opportunities for students who will take their learning outside the classroom and make it more relevant in real life.

Horn has been working with businesses to give them stronger roles in schools, Grondin said.

“Jim’s already making connections with Central Maine Community College, making early college pathways, working to offer student certificate programs,” she said. He’s working with local colleges to give high school students more opportunities to take college courses in high school.

He also just started a new partnership with Valley View Farm in Auburn to offer chemistry through agriculture.

Sampson has been athletic director in Topsham since 2012. Before that, he was athletic director for the Westbrook middle and high schools and Lake Region middle and high schools in Naples.

He graduated from Edward Little and the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Presque Isle. From 1997 to 2000 was a physical education teacher at Edward Little. 

“He brings experience and he supports our Vision 2020 work around customized learning,” Grondin said. “His children are experiencing it. He will be an advocate.” 

As an athletic director, Sampson has significant experience working with students and families from an administrative role, she said.

Sampson’s and Horn’s annual salaries will be about $77,000, Grondin said.

Money for the new aspirations specialist position came from extra state funding that was approved by voters in the supplemental budget in November.

Jim Miller is principal and Sarah DeLuca and Scott Annear are the other assistant principals.

Wednesday night was the first official meeting for new committee members Heidi Lachapelle from Ward 1, Tammy Neilson from Ward 4 and Faith Fontaine, member at large.

Ward 2 member Bonnie Hayes was elected assistant chairman, filling in when Chairman Tom Kendall is absent.

In other business, the committee was given a tentative schedule for developing the 2016-17 budget. Highlights include:

* Feb. 3, discussion of goals and the budget.

* Feb. 24, meeting with the City Council.

* March, budget meetings.

* March 30, public hearing on the budget.

* May 4, committee vote on the budget.

* May 9, City Council vote on the budget.

* June 7, public referendum on the budget

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