PHILLIPS — Directors of School Administrative District 58 approved hiring five staff members Thursday night and tabled decisions on replacing boilers at one elementary school and repairing roofs on it and two others.
Facilities and Transportation Director Scott LeHay said the two boilers at Kingfield Elementary School have problems.
“One boiler is obsolete, and I can’t even get parts for it,” he said. “The other boiler I can maybe get parts for, but they don’t always fit.”
He recommended replacing them with three smaller, less expensive ones and pay for them with money saved for paving.
“I think heat is more important than paving,” he said.
LeHay also had a contractor look at the roofs at Kingfield, Phillips and Strong elementary schools.
He recommended spending $2,000 on each to address repairs and leaks, and set aside money for future work, including replacements, next year.
Directors didn’t make decisions on the boilers or the roofs because there is no money specifically budgeted for them.
In other business, Superintendent Todd Sanders said the search to fill several district positions is ongoing as the district prepares for the first day of school Wednesday, Aug. 28.
The board approved the following hires:
- Diana Thomas, a former school board member, will teach art in Phillips and Strong elementary schools. The local artist has a master’s degree in art and in fine arts.
- Jared Young is the new technology director. He most recently was lead technology technician in the Ellsworth Community School District.
- Tori Lands will teach social studies at Kingfield Elementary School. A 2017 University of Maine at Farmington graduate, Lands has been teaching at the Daegu International School in South Korea the past two years.
- Jodi Badershall will return to Kingfield Elementary School as science teacher after a one-year leave of absence.
- Tamara Schuman, an English teacher at Mt. Abram High School, will be guidance counselor at Mt. Abram High School in Salem Township.
- Kristina Stevens, former director of the academic skills program at Gould Academy in Bethel, will be assistant principal and athletic director at Mt. Abram High School.
Superintendent Sanders announced Kingfield Elementary School Principal Johanna Prince received the Apple Distinguished Educator program award for her use of Apple’s technology to improve teaching methods and and learning results.
Apple started the program 25 years ago, and Prince said she submitted a short video to apply for the program. She recently attended an Apple conference in Maryland with other educators from around the world. The meeting featured software developers and techs who work with educators, and her team members included representatives from North, Central and South America.
“I got to hear and meet with people from all over the world who are doing great work with kids,” she said. “It was a powerful experience.”
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