SACO — A newly hired principal for C.K. Burns School is no stranger to the school.

The school board voted unanimously Wednesday night to hire current C.K. Burns Assistant Principal Lila Mitchell as the new principal. Mitchell will begin as principal this summer, after school is out for the year.

Current C.K. Burns School Principal Terry Young is leaving to take a position at Longfellow School in Portland.

Superintendent of Schools Mike Pulsifer said the board did “a pretty extensive search” and was “very pleased and proud” to hire Mitchell.

The school board then continued on to have a workshop on district goal setting, led by educational facilitator Mary Jane McCallum.

School Board Chairman Kevin Lafortune said the workshop was the first of many like it. The school board had a very busy spring, and there wasn’t a lot of time to think about the future, he said.

The city will officially be out of Regional School Unit 23 on July 1. The school board, which was elected in December, has been working to create the new district and has proposed a budget that will be voted on by residents on June 10.

School administration and school board members discussed at Wednesday’s workshop, which was held at Saco Middle School cafeteria, what they wanted for the school system.

“I want my community to be the best it can be,” said board member Stanley Mozden, echoing sentiments of others.

Strengths of the district were discussed, including teacher leadership, low staff turnover, dedicated staff as well as emphasis on the whole child by incorporating programs such as arts, music and breakfast.

Inadequate facilities and antiquated equipment were among deficiencies discussed, and there was a desire expressed for a pre-kindergarten curriculum.

Wednesday night’s meeting was a “brainstorming” session, said McCallum, and the work they did that night will be used to develop goals for the district.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].