Residents of Standish, Buxton and Hollis will go to the polls June 14 to elect representatives to the School Administrative District 6 Board of Directors.

The election comes on the heels of a series of meetings about former Superintendent Frank Sherburne, who resigned last month amid criticism that he hired his son to work for the district in violation of a nepotism policy. The son was later charged with sexual assault of a student in a different district.

The Bonny Eagle school board came under fire from residents who were upset they were not allowed to speak at meetings and accused board members of not addressing their concerns about his leadership of the district.

Much of the criticism was directed at chairwoman Rebecca Bowley of Hollis and vice-chairman Jacob Stoddard of Buxton, who gave Sherburne permission to hire his son. Stoddard and fellow Buxton board member Bradley Garand did not seek re-election and no other candidates emerged for the two-year and three-year terms. Town Clerk John Myers said Stoddard has agreed to accept the position if he is elected as a write-in candidate. Myers said Heidi Perkins also would accept a three-year term if she is elected as a write-in, and Charlene Libby will take a two-year term is she receives the most write-in votes.

In Standish, incumbents Alan Dube and Paul Mosely are running for re-election. They face a challenge from Philip Pomerleau, a former town councilor.

Hollis board member Lester Harmon is running unopposed for another term.

Advertisement

Residents of the district also will vote on the SAD 6 education budget. The district includes Buxton, Hollis, Limington, Standish and Frye Island.

The $48.1 million budget is up 3.3 percent from the current budget and will result in small tax increases if approved.

The budget, which was approved without changes by residents at a recent regional budget meeting, includes $450,000 in the capital budget to tackle a long list of projects across the district, according to school officials. It also adds a licensed practical nurse at Bonny Eagle Middle School, adds a Jobs for Maine Graduates program for middle school students, increases occupational therapy and speech and language services for special education students and funds a new district-wide comprehensive summer school program. Other additions include a director position for an alternative education program for students in sixth through 12th grade, a new technology integrator for the district’s elementary schools, and expands the Chinese language program by adding another teaching position.

The budget would add the following amounts to tax bills for homes valued at $180,000: Buxton, $44; Hollis, $61; Limington, $35; Standish, $24; and Frye Island, $52.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.