Mandy Cummings will serve as interim school board director for Arundel. Contributed / RSU 21

The Arundel Select Board chose resident Mandy Cummings to serve as the interim RSU 21 School Board director for the year 2025. The Jan. 7 vote was unanimous.

Cummings replaces former board director Kirstin Shapiro, who resigned in November and was formally removed from the board by vote in December.

A Biddeford native, Cummings has lived in Arundel with her husband for 12 years, and their son is currently a multi-sport student/athlete in the district.

Cummings has worked in the public sector for over a decade, and currently serves as assistant town manager and treasurer of Ogunquit.

“I have a lot of skill sets that could be beneficial in bringing the community together and getting us back on track,” Cummings said last week.

As an RSU 21 director, Cummings hopes to create a safe space for people of diverse opinions, and to use her experience to give back to her community.

“I hope to bring the entire community along to learn from both sides, both educationally and fiscally,” Cummings said.

The biggest issue Cummings said the school board faces right now is to build community trust back.

Cummings hopes to do this by creating a safe space and promoting a culture of listening and actively working together.

“Once you’ve created that foundation, you can usually work through most any problems together,” Cummings said.

Cummings will serve the remainder Shapiro’s term, which ends in June.

Shapiro resigned from the school board in November, and was recalled by public vote in December.

The school board also censured Shapiro in November following a series of comments and  public outbursts that were determined to be in violation of board policy and procedure.

The Arundel Select Board thanked Cummings for stepping up to the role of school board director last week.

“This role is not to be taken lightly,” chair Velma Jones Hayes said. “It’s a huge commitment, serving in the best interest of the children of Arundel.”

Following the end of her interim term in June, Cummings plans to formally run for school board.