FARMINGTON — RSU 9 directors voted 9-3 Tuesday night to give a 2 percent raise for three non-union positions, Superintendent Tom Ward said Wednesday.
The positions are director of curriculum/assistant superintendent, business manager and half-time principal at Mallett School in Farmington, he said.
They are held by Leanne Condon, Kris Pottle and Keith Martin, respectively.
Opposing the vote were directors Angela LeClair and Keith Swett, both of Wilton, and Dr. Iris Silverstein of Farmington, Administrative Assistant Tabatha Emery said.
The board also officially approved Bruce Mochamer as the interim principal at Mt. Blue High School and coordinator of the Mt. Blue Campus.
The board’s Administrator Evaluation Committee postponed their search for a new principal and coordinator until December. Principal Monique Poulin is leaving June 30 to become the principal of the Skowhegan Area High School.
Directors also voted 11-1, with Silverstein opposed, to set Mochamer’s salary for both positions at $87,000 for 2014-15, Ward said. His salary as assistant principal at the high school is currently $72,826.
Poulin currently makes $92,905, Ward said.
In other business, the board voted to approve an articulation agreement to partner with Thornton Academy in Saco for the foreign exchange tuition program, he said. RSU 9 plans to start its own international program.
Thornton representatives do a big recruitment campaign to get foreign students to attend its school for four years, he said. The campaign includes getting students from China to attend the Maine school.
With the district working with the academy, if representatives of Thornton come across anyone who only wants to tuition for one year, they will refer them to RSU 9, he said.
Public schools can keep a foreign exchange student for only a year, he said.
RSU 9 directors have agreed if their foreign students want to continue education in Maine after the one-year stay, the district will refer the student to Thornton, he said.
The academy is a semi-private school and is allowed to have tuitioned foreign exchange students for four years, he said.
In another matter, the board also approved a job-share position for Wendy Oakley. She will work as a half-time prekindergarten teacher at Mallett School. The district will advertise for another half-time teacher.
Ward said he gave directors an update on the overheating situation on the second floor of Mallett School. Temperatures in the classrooms hover around 85 to 90 degrees during certain months of the year. Several plans have failed to reduce the heat.
David Leavitt, director of support services, told the board in May that they would put in a commercial-size air-conditioner in the most affected room. Regular window air-conditioners were not effective.
They also removed some of the window glass in the room and replaced it with white, insulated panels to see if it efficiently worked to cool the room down. The original glass was saved.
Ward said those changes made a difference. He also said the insulated panels cut down on the light that was affecting the use of the electronic Smart Boards.
The $31 million 2014-15 budget approved by voters June 10 contains $50,000 to deal with the overheating issue.
The board will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m. July 8 at Mallett School to review the changes, he said.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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