Brandy Bordeau of Peru, a parent of a Regional School Unit 56 student, speaks Tuesday to the board of directors meeting at Dirigo High School in Dixfield about her concerns for safety regarding transgender students using the bathrooms of their choice. “Let’s take care of our kids so all kids are safe and are comfortable in our bathrooms,” she says. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times
DIXFIELD — Regional School Unit 56 directors voted Tuesday to advertise for a full-time principal for Dirigo High School to start in the fall.
Superintendent Pam Doyen has held that position since budget cuts were made in October 2019.
The decision to hire a principal was based on Assistant Principal Nick Karavas’ recent announcement that he is resigning at the end of this school year. He is also the athletic director.
The board will also hire a full-time athletic activities director to oversee all district sports events, as well as other extracurricular activities such as drama, Doyen said.
She said the benefits would be a distinct focus in each area, time management of each job being much more manageable, and a better focus and less burnout because of no shared positions.
The cost of salaries is one disadvantage, Doyen said, and another is a full-time principal position would mean “another turnover, another change for the high school.”
Other options considered by the board included continuing the combined superintendent/principal position and combined assistant principal and athletic director positions or having a combined superintendent/principal, an assistant principal and an athletic activities director.
Another option was having a full-time superintendent, a full-time principal and a full-time assistant principal who would split their time between the high school and Dirigo Elementary School, and a full-time athletic activities director.
Doyen said, “I just want to say this publicly, because I don’t want anybody thinking that I don’t want to be Dirigo High School’s principal. I love the students, I love the staff, I love my work, but it is a lot. And I do think it’s in everybody’s best interest to split the two positions.”
During public comments, parent Brandy Bordeau of Peru reiterated her thoughts shared at the Jan. 17 meeting regarding students’ bathroom use and what she said could be safety issues of transgender students using the bathrooms of their choice.
Bordeau said at Dirigo Elementary School in Peru on late-arrival Wednesdays there is a child care program with students ages 5 to 18 in the building, “and they can use any bathroom they want.”
“I believe it is the job of RSU 56 to keep kids safe,” she said, adding that administrators should watch over the multiuse bathrooms for single-use only to avoid safety issues.
“I do not think every person going into a bathroom is going to be malicious, but just in case (we need to take precautions),” she said. She also urged everyone “to talk to the school board, call, email, meet. Let’s take care of our kids so all kids are safe and are comfortable in our bathrooms.”
In other business, the board approved the 2024-25 school calendar. The first day of classes is Aug. 28 for kindergarten through grades 6 and 9 and Aug. 29 for grades 7, 8 and 10 through 12.
The last day of school for 2024-25 and Dirigo High School’s graduation is June 6, 2025, although storm days may extend the last day to June 13, 2025.
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