HODGDON, Maine — SAD 70 is slowly beginning the process of searching for a new superintendent.
During Monday evening’s school board meeting, the group met with Sandra MacArthur of the Maine School Management Agency to go over the necessary steps in filling a superintendent’s position.
Bob McDaniel has served as the superintendent of SAD 70 for the past eight years. Back in January, 2011, SAD 70 and SAD 14 (Danforth) consolidated their central offices to form AOS 48, with McDaniel selected to serve as the superintendent for both school districts.
In October, 2012, McDaniel submitted his resignation, effective at the end of the current school year. Since that time, the SAD 70 school board voted to withdraw from AOS 48, citing an increased cost to its member towns of Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow, New Limerick, Amity, Cary Plantation and Haynesville. Those towns then held a district-wide referendum Feb. 5 and voted 115-6 to withdraw from the school union.
The SAD 70 school board did not move forward with any plans to fill the superintendent’s position in the hopes that McDaniel would reconsider his resignation once the district pulled out of the AOS. However, McDaniel has stuck to his plans to resign, thus prompting the school board to officially begin its search for a new superintendent.
During Monday night’s meeting, MacArthur informed the board that hiring a superintendent was “not a rosy picture,” stating school districts are having a much more difficult time in finding suitable candidates. The number of applicants for vacancies has also dwindled in recent years.
There are 94 full-time superintendents in the state, MacArthur said. This year, there are 25 openings throughout the state. Last year, there were 33. She said the position is seeing far more turnover, as more and more superintendents leave their post after five years. The national average is 18 months, she added.
In previous years, a school district could expect to see upwards of 40 applicants for a superintendent’s position, MacArthur said. That figure is now about half for larger districts, while smaller ones such as SAD 70 could likely expect four to eight applicants.
“It is not easy to find a superintendent these days,” she said.
The district can choose to use MSMA to help with the hiring process for a fee, or can choose to go the process alone. When McDaniel was hired, the district did not use MSMA’s services, which cost $100 per applicant plus the cost of advertising.
MacArthur added many school districts must now hire a superintendent who does not reside in the district they represent. Instead, many are choosing to rent an apartment and return home to their families on the weekend.
Board member Joel Oliver asked if smaller school districts were switching to part-time leaders. MacArthur replied that most smaller districts were still going with full-time positions, with superintendents filling multiple roles.
McDaniel’s final day is June 30. Therefore, the district will have to hire an interim superintendent to fill-in starting July 1. It was unclear by presstime if McDaniel was willing to stay with the district as the interim superintendent.
The next regular meeting of the SAD 70 school board will be held May 13 at 7 p.m.
