FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors had the final meeting for the school year on Tuesday, June 27. The board bid farewell to several of its members while also finalizing details before entering summer break.

The board recognized directors Charles “Chip” Hinds of New Vineyard, Irving Faunce of Wilton and J. Wayne Kinney of Farmington for their service to the board. All three men will receive plaques for their service, with Hinds serving for one year, Faunce serving six years and Kinney serving four years.

The three men will not be returning to the board as Hinds lost to Jeff Barnum of New Vineyard for that seat. Both Faunce and Kinney chose not to seek re-election and will be replaced by Amanda Caruso of Wilton and T. “Will” Jones of Farmington, respectively.

Both Faunce and Hinds were absent from the meeting, but Kinney was present and said a few words to his fellow board members.

“I just want to thank the board and the district for putting up with me,” Kinney stated. “And I want to thank the people of Farmington for sending me here. Farmington as a town is worth spending time on and and so I’ve enjoyed working in local government.

“We’ve got a good board, we’ve got a good district, good students, good teachers,” he continued, “And the people in the district have recognized that in their support for budgets and support for board members and I’m just fortunate to have been a part of it.”

Chairperson Carol Coles will also be stepping down from her position. She will remain as a director until 2024 when her position will be up for election.

“This is my final meeting as your board chair,” Coles said to the board at the beginning for the meeting. “I wanted us to pause for just a moment because I want to thank you, my fellow board members, including our student board member.

“These are challenging times for both school boards across the nation and RSU 9 is no exception,” she continued. “I am actually very grateful to every one of you for the respect that you have shown to me, to each other and to the public during this 2022 to 2023 school year. You have modeled democracy in action.”

Director Gloria McGraw spoke to Coles on behalf of the board.

“We would like to say a few words to Carol as our retiring [chairperson],” McGraw said. “You have taught us to be our best selves. I love how you’re so respectful to people. You’ve urged us all to be active members, to say what we think most of the time and you’ve respected the audience who have come to speak and participate. You’ve done a great job of our chairman and beyond.”

McGraw stated that she had a gift for Coles and that it would be delivered soon.

In other business, McGraw recognized the passing of Marshall R. Thombs of New Sharon, who passed on Wednesday, June 7.

According to McGraw, Thombs played a significant role in RSU 9’s history. Thombs was passionate about education, earning a bachelor’s degree from Farmington State Teachers College [now University of Maine Farmington] and a master of science in education from the University of Maine Orono.

Thombs worked as an elementary teacher, elementary guidance counselor, and a substance abuse counselor for schools, Kennebec Valley Mental Health, hospitals, and UMF.

The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors voting as they pass a series of agenda items at the final meeting before entering the summer on Tuesday, June 27. Brian Ponce/Franklin Journal

The board voted unanimously to approve computation and declaration of votes from the referendum vote that was held Tuesday, June 13. The vote, which approved the $41 million budget, was passed with 651 votes for the budget and 216 against it.

The board also voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Christian Elkington to hire professional and support staff during the summer.