WALES — Superintendent Jim Hodgkin told school directors that after eight years, he’s moving on.
With two years left on his contract, Hodgkin submitted his resignation last week, effective June 30.
Hodgkin, who was the newly formed Regional School Unit 4’s first superintendent, said Tuesday that he isn’t retiring and he doesn’t have another position lined up.
“If I were going to make a list of pros and cons (about the job), my list of pros would way outweigh my list of cons, but it’s the things that are on the con list (that factor into resigning),” he said. “After eight years, it’s just time for a change.”
Among the negatives: The increasing challenge of crafting an annual budget with more cost shifting from the state to the district, $2.5 million over the past eight years.
RSU 4 is made up of Sabattus, Litchfield and Wales. One of those three towns, which Hodgkin declined to name, has also become more challenging to work with.
“One community in particular is really struggling and that is taking more of a toll on education than I think most people want to believe,” Hodgkin said. “They’re having their own internal strife. Somebody actually made a comment that ‘they will never support another budget.’ It’s just stuff like that.”
He called the district’s teachers “some of the best teachers I’ve ever worked with in my entire career” and said he’s had a good working relationship with the school board.
“There are people in all three towns that I really have a huge level of respect for, particularly in the one that is struggling,” Hodgkin said. “I just feel really bad for what’s happening to them. It’s just been really hard to watch.”
Hodgkin, who lives in Leeds, isn’t being bought out of his contract. He also said the move isn’t related to health reasons. Before coming to RSU 4, Hodgkin had been superintendent of School Administrative District 43 in Rumford.
He’s hoping the board either takes steps this month to hire the person he has recommended to replace him or start the search for a replacement to have them in place by summer.
“It’s time for a change,” he said. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done.”
kskelton@sunjournal.com
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