Kirkpatrick starts as SAD 4 super. Oct. 1

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — Ann Kirkpatrick of Belfast will take over as superintendent of School Administrative District 4 on Oct. 1, succeeding veteran educator Paul Stearns. Kirkpatrick was supervising principal of Warren Elementary and Friendship Village School in Regional School Unit 40 for the past 11 years and was hired by the SAD 4 Board of Directors on June 26.

    “The size of SAD 4 really appeals to me,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s a small campus, not spread out over a wide area.” But the prime reason why Kirkpatrick said she sought the position was the reputation of the district. “The district is a real diamond in the rough,” she said. “They stay underneath the radar, so to speak. Their teacher evaluation system is way ahead of many districts, their commitment to technology goes back many years and they’re innovative.”
    Kirkpatrick cites the recent passage of a bond issue to replace some outdated heating systems in the two school buildings with a wood pellet burner. “This will save a considerable amount of money over the years, so you can focus more on programs that directly impact the students,” she said.
    Kirkpatrick, a Caribou native, began her first teaching job at Limestone Junior-Senior High School in 1985, which is now the site of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. She later served as principal of the Fort O’Brien School in Machiasport, Lincolnville Elementary School, Sabattus Elementary School and as teaching principal at the Edmunds Consolidated School in Washington County.
    When she first started at RSU 40, Kirkpatrick said she was responsible for Warren Elementary School with 350 students and one of the district’s special education departments. During the past three years, she was also principal of Friendship Village School. “Friendship has been well-known for their consistently high test scores,” said Kirkpatrick. “One year, during the Maine Educational Assessment test era, they had the highest scores in the state.”
    Kirkpatrick has been spending at least one day a week at the Guilford campus and plans to be around more often as the school year begins. “I’m anxious to get to know the staff and the community,” she said.