Following an executive session called during Maine School Administrative District 17’s June 1 board meeting, directors voted to accept Superintendent Heather Manchester’s May 28 resignation.

Manchester has accepted a position as assistant superintendent for teaching and learning with Yarmouth School Department; her final day with SAD 17 will be June 30.

Board of directors Chair Troy Ripley, of Paris, and Vice Chair Mark Curran, of Harrison, were authorized to coordinate a recruitment plan with the Maine School Management Association for Manchester’s replacement.

The board also authorized Ripley and Curran to enter into negotiations with Assistant Superintendent Steve Ciembroniewicz to fulfill SAD 17’s superintendent responsibilities beginning July 1.

All three motions were unanimously approved by the 19 directors present. Directors Jennifer Randall (Paris), Mike Newsom (Otisfield) and Mark Heidmann (Harrison) were not in attendance.

Ciembroniewicz was hired as assistant superintendent four years ago, beginning his post at the start of the school year in 2022. Last month, he announced his retirement beginning Sept. 1.

Asked after if he will still retire by Sept. 1, Ciembroniewicz said “I have not changed that. That was my plan all along.”

Tuesday afternoon, Ripley said that his and Curran’s first meeting with Ciembroniewicz will happen later this week.

“We plan to negotiate terms agreeable between all parties until such time as (Steve) retires,” Ripley said.

Ripley noted that Ciembroniewicz’s current contract contains stipulations for taking on the top administrative duties in an emergency situation — but that doesn’t apply in this situation.

Manchester went through that process four years ago when former superintendent Monica Hensen was suspended and there was no official assistant superintendent in place.

The previous assistant superintendent, Patrick Hartnett, quit shortly after Henson was hired. Henson then promoted DJ Thorne from principal of Hebron Station School to SAD 17 chief of staff.

At the time that Henson was stripped of her post in January 2022, Manchester was appointed acting assistant superintendent. When Henson resigned three months later, Manchester was reassigned to be interim superintendent and then named permanent superintendent the following January.

Under Ciembroniewicz’s tenure as assistant superintendent, he directed the formation of a safety and security advisory committee and executed its recommendations, which include advanced active shooter training (alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate) for all district employees, and installation of upgraded security, access and communications infrastructure in all school buildings.

Before joining SAD 17, Ciembroniewicz was a school administrator with the Brunswick School Department.

During the chaos of Henson’s suspension and permanent removal from her post, SAD 17’s hiring committee endured criticism from the community on how such a polarizing figure had become its top choice.

Ripley was not on the board during that period and did not say how the process would differ going forward.

“As a board, we will decide what the hiring committee will look like,” he said. “But we will start by consulting with (Maine School Management Association) and then determine our plan: Will MSMA lead the search or will we hire a third party to conduct it? It will be a board decision and we have not started that conversation yet.”

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