LIVERMORE FALLS — Thursday evening, May 28, Regional School Unit 73 directors hired two new fourth grade teachers during a meeting held via Zoom video conference.

The board approved hiring Breanne Vittum of Auburn who was a student teacher at Spruce Mountain Elementary School where she will now teach.

“There were glowing reviews from staff, students and administrators there,” Board Chairman Robert Staples said after the meeting.

Also hired was Sarah Dyer of Readfield.

“This is her first teaching position. She had a career as a social worker for 17 years, has gone into teaching,” Staples said.

Spruce Mountain Primary School Principal Kevin Harrington announced Pre-Kindergarten graduation will be 3-6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, June 8 and 9. Students in Monday/Thursday classes should attend the Monday, June 8, ceremony. Students in Tuesday/Friday classes should attend the Tuesday, June 9, graduation.

Families will come up in their vehicles, students will get their caps and gowns, receive a wave from their teachers and have an opportunity for pictures.

The graduations will be first come, first served. The photo will be with the family only due to social distancing and because social distancing will be in effect, wearing masks will be at the family’s discretion, Harrington said later in an email.

Harrington said two graduations are being held so that each class gets their own night, and it will hopefully keep the numbers down to below 50.

He informed the board of an anonymous $500 donation to the Phoenix food pantry.

“That $500 gives us $1,200 to $1,500 of actual food,” Harrington said.

In other business, the board gave the board chairman and vice chairman permission to negotiate/open year two of the superintendent’s current contract for salary and mileage only.

“We had done a flat $105,000 for two years to see how the first year went,” Staples said.

In his report, Superintendent Scott Albert said he had talked with the district’s legal counsel regarding the Governor allowing the foregoing of district budget meetings.

“Depending on the language and safety restrictions in place on having 50 people in one place, we can still have our meeting. That’s the goal. It could depend on Governor Mills’ language. ” Albert said.

Updated guidelines have been expected, but haven’t come out, he said.

“If we can open up, we can continue to do what we normally do. If the governor absolutely forbids it, it makes it a little more difficult,” Albert said.

“I believe we owe it to our taxpayers to follow the process that’s been established. It’s still a go for the June 15 district budget meeting and July 14 for the referendum vote,” he said.

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