FARMINGTON — Regional School Unit 9 directors voted Tuesday to hire Laura Columbia of Farmington as curriculum coordinator for the district.

Columbia has been serving as interim coordinator since August 2017. Prior to that, she was a science teacher at Mt. Blue High School. Her current salary is $75,000 for a 210-day contract. 

The board’s Administrative Evaluation Committee recommended Columbia to be hired. She was one of three candidates for the position, Superintendent Tom Ward said after the meeting.

The board’s Contract Resolution Committee recommended her salary be $79, 986 for a 220-day contract. 

Most of her salary will come out of the proposed budget, with the additional 10 days to come out of federal Title 1 funds, Ward said. It will not affect the current proposed budget, he said.

“I love this job. I love how fast it is. Thank you all for choosing me,” Columbia said after the vote.

The board also voted to hire Sarita Crandall as a science teacher at Mt. Blue Middle School. She is a senior at University of Maine at Farmington and will graduate Saturday.

Director Jesse Sillanpaa of Industry told Crandall, prior to the vote, that his kids spoke very highly of her.

“If everything goes well, it would be good to have you as part of the team,” he said.

Ward announced the resignations of Charlie Castonguay as Mt. Blue boys basketball varsity coach and Miranda Bickford as an education technician at Mt. Blue Campus.

The board voted to approve George Chimenti’s request to rescind his retirement notice. He is the building construction program instructor at Foster Career and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue Campus.

Ward told the board that Sarah Doscinski has been hired as track coach at the middle school. 

He approved transfers for Abigail Smith, a fifth-grade teacher at Academy Hill School in Wilton, to teach second grade at the school, and for Patricia Veayo, a general education teacher, who will become the alternative education teacher at Mt. Blue Campus.

The board also voted to approve first-year, second-year and third-year probationary contracts for several staff members.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

The RSU 9 board voted Tuesday to hire Laura Columbia of Farmington as curriculum coordinator for the district. (Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal)