DIXFIELD — The Regional School Unit 56 board of directors approved a three-year contract for Superintendent Pam Doyen beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2028.

The board approved the contract extension Tuesday following an executive session.

Doyen began working as superintendent for the district from its inception on July 1, 2017, following its withdrawal from the Rumford-based Regional School Unit 10.

RSU 56 serves the towns of Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru.

Due to budget cuts in October 2019, Doyen has served as both the principal of Dirigo High School and superintendent. This year in July the board hired Kaelyne Thompson as Dirigo High School principal, relieving Doyen of one position.

In other business, the board of directors approved the proposed school staff substitutes’ daily pay rates.

The substitute pay raise is expected to reflect about a 7% increase in the budget, which would be an increase of $10,902 in the 2025-26 budget, Doyen said.

Some positions such as custodian substitutes were raised “a full dollar (per hour) the first year and then kept it the same for the second year, because we need to get it up there (in pay rate) quicker,” Doyen said.

The substitute custodian pay rate is expected to increase to $15.50 an hour beginning on Jan. 1 and it will remain that amount the next year, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Substitute bus drivers’ pay is expected to increase by a dollar per hour in January to $18 an hour, and then an additional 50-cent increase the next year.

Substitute teachers with at least two years of college are expected to see a $10 per day raise to $125 starting Jan. 1, with another increase to $135 per day on Jan. 1, 2026.

“So, it would be an increase to the budget, obviously. But again, I feel like we need to remain competitive in order to get good people in to sub for us,” Doyen said.

Board member Liz Kelly of Dixfield said that she thought increasing the wages for substitute staff was “critical” in importance for the district.

“I’ve been a substitute for a few years after retiring, and there are some times when there’s not enough (subs) and you have, like, four people, five (staff members) missing at the middle school,” Kelly said.

She added that pay should increase for substitute staff if the district wants to retain good-quality employees.

In other news, district Technology Director Brian Keene reported the current student enrollment is 711 students, considering the number of students who are attending full-time at the three district schools: Dirigo High School, T.W. Kelly Dirigo Middle School and Dirigo Elementary School.