26-03-2025
RSU 21 School Board weighs options for interim superintendent search
KENNEBUNK, Maine — The RSU 21 School Board is considering hiring the Maine School Management Association to guide efforts to find the district's next interim superintendent.
School Board members appeared to be ready to vote to hire the association during a meeting on Monday, with a motion to that effect made and seconded. When concerns and other options surfaced during a discussion, however, the motion and its second were withdrawn and the board chose an alternate path.
Following a suggestion by School Board member Mandy Cummings, the board voted to have the district's Human Resources Committee meet soon to put together a proposal for how best to search for an interim superintendent.
The committee will take into consideration what the district might be able to do for itself, given its own Human Resources Department, and to what extent it might need the MSMA or perhaps another organization for additional support.
The committee is expected to have that proposal ready for the School Board's next regular business meeting on April 7.
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Earlier this month, Superintendent Terri Cooper announced that she would be stepping down at the end of this summer after five years at the district's helm. The School Board approved a separation agreement with her following an executive session at a special meeting on March 12.
The York County Coast Star has requested a copy of the agreement through the state's Freedom of Access Act.
Cooper's last day will be Aug. 31. In a recent statement to the community, she said serving RSU 21 has been a 'great honor.'
'Together, we have raised academic achievement, expanded programs, and successfully navigated numerous challenges,' Cooper said. 'I am immensely proud of our collective work to provide students with an exceptional education.'
Cooper expressed gratitude to the district's teachers, staff members, and administrators, as well as to School Board members, families, and community partners for their 'trust and support.' She also said that watching students thrive 'has been my greatest joy.'
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The School Board held its discussion on Monday after emerging from an executive session that had been added to the agenda by a unanimous vote. School Board member Megan Michaud, who made the motion for the executive session, said she had an agenda-related question she needed to ask that could not be done so in public.
During the discussion, with a seconded motion to approve the hiring of the MSMA on the table, School Board members raised concerns about the timeline for the superintendent search, the expense of hiring external assistance, the division of responsibilities between the district and the selected firm, and whether other firms, beyond the MSMA, should also be considered.
Board member Gayle Spofford said she did not have enough information about expenses, job descriptions, and assigned responsibilities for the search to vote in favor of the motion to hire the MSMA.
'We don't need to do this now,' Spofford said. 'We still have a superintendent ... I'm concerned that we're moving into this a little more quickly than we need to.'
School Board Chair Matthew Stratford said he thought it was important to start the search as soon as possible to provide the time needed for an effective search.
'Hiring great people takes a long time,' he said. 'We're looking to fill this position, obviously, as close to July 1 as possible.'
July 1 is the official start of the school district's new fiscal year.
Spofford disagreed, stating that the district only needed a new superintendent by Sept. 1, exactly one day after Cooper officially steps down.
'I think you have adequate time to do a thorough job,' she said.
Similarly to Stratford, Vice Chair Britney Gerth said she was in favor of not waiting and starting the search early. She noted that the district's legal partners put forth the MSMA as 'the best choice.'
'It can only be a bonus if there's overlap between Dr. Cooper's end date and a potential interim coming in,' Gerth said. 'I'm pessimistic that we're going to have anything final as far as a full-time replacement superintendent by the summer. I'm thinking only at this point of an interim.'
Gerth praised the MSMA, saying its proposal for a search made sense to her and noting that the district has worked successfully with the association before.
'They are our gold standard in many other areas of the board, including policy,' she said. 'It seems like a natural partnership for this type of item.'
School Board member Kirstan Watson emphasized the need for the district to have an interim superintendent in place during the duration of the search for Cooper's successor.
'We don't know how long it is going to take,' Watson said. 'We could need an interim superintendent for an extended period of time.'
Watson did not refer to the district's previous search for a superintendent when making her point, but she could have. Phillip Potenziano served as the district's interim superintendent for pretty much the entire 2019-2020 school year while the board conducted a lengthy and complicated search that ultimately led to the hiring of Cooper.
Three members of the School Board – Michaud, Abigail Spadone, and Claudia Sayre – suggested looking at other firms, in addition to the MSMA, to see what their prices for conducting a search would be.
Cooper agreed.
'It's always great to look at a variety to make sure you're picking the one that's best for you,' she said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RSU 21 School Board weighs options for interim superintendent search
