DIXFIELD —The board of directors for Regional School Unit 56 has unanimously voted to extend for an additional year the contract of Superintendent Pam Doyen.

Doyen’s pact will now run through June 30, 2020.

Doyen is in her first year as superintendent in RSU 56, which began school services in June following its withdrawal from RSU 10 last year.

RSU 56 includes Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru, while RSU 10 includes Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury, Buckfield, Sumner, Hartford and Hanover.

In other matters, Kenny Robbins, director of buildings, grounds and transportation, told the RSU 56 board of directors at its meeting last week that the building that was once used to house RSU 10’s central office and a fitness center is officially closed. He said about a dozen pieces of exercise equipment from the fitness center were placed in a room adjacent to the gym at Dirigo High School, and that the room will be used as a fitness center for the students.

He also told directors that RSU 56 meets the criteria for Maine state funding to buy two school buses — one this year and one next year.

“But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to get funded,” he said.

He added that the RSU should be notified “any time” as to whether or not the state would fund the school bus purchases.

Robbins also told the board about problems with a furnace failure in early January at the T.W. Kelly Middle School. The issue caused the school to close.

Another districtwide school closure this winter occurred due to “a bad load of fuel” used in the RSU’s school buses.

“In my (entire) career, we have never lost a day (of school) because of buses (until now),” Robbins said.

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RSU 56 logo.