SAD 4 residents to vote on $7M budget next month; Greenville Principal MacFadyen will be new superintendent

GUILFORD — A 2018-19 academic year budget totaling $7,087,042, which includes a local assessment of just over $4,180,000, was approved by the SAD 4 school board during an April 10 meeting at Piscataquis Community Elementary School. The directors also set the district budget meeting for 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 at PCES — with an information session at 6 p.m. — and the budget validation referendum will be Tuesday, May 15 in the towns of Abbot, Cambridge, Guilford, Parkman, Sangerville and Wellington.

“This year for us we are raising more money locally and getting less money from the state,” Interim Superintendent Ray Freve said.

The local assessment of $4,180,370 represents a $290,375 increase from the 2017-18 figure of just under $3,890,000. The increase in assessments to the six district communities is a factor in the near gross budget increasing by approximately $208,000 from the 2017-18 sum of $6,879,013 to $7,087,042.

SAD 4’s state aid for 2018-19 would be $2,176,464, about $73,665 less than the current figure of $2,250,129.

“We have no new programs in the budget,” Freve said. He also said insurance costs are up by about 9 percent.

“We went through lists of cuts that we made and the impact of the increases,” Freve said.

In other business, current Greenville Consolidated School Principal Kelly MacFadyen was announced as the new SAD 4 superintendent.

“She is here, I met with her yesterday,” Board Chair Niki Fortier said. “She has agreed and signed a two-year contract.”

At a special board meeting the week before, MacFadyen was elected as superintendent for a period of two years and the directors also voted to allow Fortier to enter into negotiations with the superintendent-elect.

MacFadyen’s contract will have a salary of $95,000 for the first year, and Fortier said the second year may change from $95,000.

“Her official start day is July 1, she and Ray will work out some times when she can come down and work with Ray and get squared away for when she takes over,” Fortier said.

MacFadyen has been the principal in Greenville for six years. Before heading north she served as director of guidance at Piscataquis Community High School for eight years, and worked as a guidance counselor at the Mountainview Youth Development Center for several years prior to her time at PCHS.

The superintendent-elect is a 1984 graduate of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. and received her master’s of arts in counselor education/school counseling and guidance services in 1986 from the University of South Florida in 1986.

Earlier in the calendar year SAD 4 advertised for the superintendent position and 12 applications came in. A 10-member search committee then met with the top four candidates to recommend a finalist in writing. This candidate was interviewed with the full school board and at the conclusion of the April 3 special meeting MacFadyen was approved by the directors.
The school board also voted to allow PCHS Principal John Keane to start an athletic hall of fame at the school.

“It says principal but this was actually a community group that met recently,” Keane said. He said an organizational committee interested in forming the hall of fame wanted the directors to formally approve the concept and review some forthcoming guidelines.

School board member Brian Levensailor wondered if the hall of fame would include the former Guilford High School and/or other past institutions.

“We will go as far back as appropriate to honor someone in this area who was a student-athlete and deserves to be recognized,” Keane said. He said a hall of fame selection committee will review candidates — nomination forms may be released next month — “to try to figure out among those who have been nominated who belongs in it.”

“We are looking to do a hall of fame awardee supper next year at Homecoming,” Keane said. He said there is a benefactor in place to cover any costs associated with a hall of fame.

MacFadyen