HODGDON, Maine — A new, yet familiar face will be the next administrator for SAD 70 in Hodgdon.
The SAD 70 school board unanimously approved the appointment of Tyler Putnam as the district’s next superintendent/high school principal during its Monday night board meeting.
The board’s decision came following a 30-minute executive session. Putnam did not attend the meeting, but did join via the online conferencing app Zoom. He did not speak to the board during the open portion of the meeting.
Putnam previously worked in the district as its assistant principal for two years — 2019-20 and 2020-21. He left the district at the end of the 2020-21 school year to take a position as principal of Lewiston High School.
He replaces Stephen Fitzpatrick, who announced his retirement in March.
Fitzpatrick was hired as the district’s superintendent/high school principal in March 2019. Before that, he served as the district’s high school principal for one year. It marked his second stint as the high school principal for Hodgdon Middle-High School.
Fitzpatrick will remain in his post until the end of the school year.
SAD 70 board chairman Ron Silliboy said Putnam was one of a handful of candidates who were interviewed for the vacancy.
“We are looking forward to working with Tyler and having him back here in his hometown district,” Silliboy said.”We feel this is a good direction for our school district.”
Putnam has spent 15 years in the field of education. Prior to Hodgdon, he was a teacher in the Washburn and Acton school districts.
A 2002 graduate of Hodgdon, Putnam was a standout athlete for the Hawks, particularly on the basketball court where he was a 1,000-point scorer. He made second team all-state his senior year and went on to play collegiately at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. He also is a former basketball coach.
