FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 directors voted Tuesday to continue in 2017-18 the administrative structure that was put in place at Mt. Blue Campus prior to the start of the school year.

It was considered an interim plan when the board approved it in August 2016 to see how it worked.

The structure was proposed to be more efficient and to better meet the needs of students. It created a full-time athletic director and two full-time assistant principals.

However, the structure eliminated a director of guidance and the position of student services coordinator.

Previously, a half-time assistant principal and half-time athletic director position was held by Todd Demmons, who is now a full-time assistant principal at the high school. 

Under the restructuring, Demmons covers grades 11 and 12 of Mt. Blue High School and the Foster Career and Technical Education Center that is also on the campus.

Joel Smith is the assistant principal who covers grades nine and 10. Chad Brackett is the full-time athletic director. He was previously the assistant principal/athletic director at the middle school.

Bruce Mochamer is the principal of Mt. Blue High School and the coordinator of Mt. Blue Campus. 

Former Foster Center Director Glenn Kapiloff is now director of adult education and is the manager of grants for the Foster Center. He also assists interim center Director Melissa Williams with the budget.

It is still a work in progress, Mochamer told the board on March 7. 

It has been challenging, he said then, but they are working on it.

According to data from that meeting, discipline has improved because administrators are more able to assist students and are more visible throughout the school.

Superintendent Tom Ward said that they exceeded the $470,910 budgeted amount the board had asked them to stay within for restructuring by $1,163.

They had enough money to cover it after they hired a less-experienced interim assistant middle school principal/athletic director at a lower salary, he said.

The positions of Foster Center director and middle school assistant principal/athletic director will be posted. Both are interim positions.

Director Keith Swett of Wilton said it bothered him that they didn’t follow what they voted on in August, referring to staying within the budgeted amount.

Some directors voiced concerns over not filling the student service coordinator position and drawing from the Guidance Department to help make the structure work.

 dperry@sunmediagroup.net