RSU 40 board approves calendar, field trips and administrator contracts; moves to executive session

The RSU 40/MSAD 40 school board approved multiple routine agenda items at its March meeting, including the district calendar, several overnight field trips and administrator contracts, and then moved into executive session to discuss negotiations.

On the consent agenda the board approved the minutes of the Feb. 5, 2026 meeting. The board then approved changing the March 13 workshop date to a student day to address accumulated snow days and schedule constraints; the transcript notes board discussion about state waivers but does not record a specific waiver being requested. The vote tallies for these approvals are not specified in the meeting transcript.

Trustees approved the 2026–27 school calendar and granted approval for overnight trips for the high-school outdoor club and an out-of-state trip for state-champion wrestlers to attend the New England wrestling championship pursuant to board policy IJOA.

The board approved one-year contracts for administrators under the administrative-group collective bargaining agreement (as transcribed: Ashley Bissonette, Donald P. Christ, Ian McKenzie and Clint Rangel) and approved two-year contracts for other administrators (as transcribed: Madea Cordero, Julie Sanborn and Joshua Snyder). Several board members praised the new administrative hires and noted the rapid integration of the team. The board chair read a retirement letter from Miller School principal Julia Levinson, who said she plans to retire effective in July after 40 years in education.

Finally, the board moved and seconded a motion to enter executive session under the cited reference "MRS 4 5 6 3" to discuss negotiations with the support center; the transcript shows the motion was seconded but does not record the vote tally or final roll call in the public portion.

Why this matters: These routine approvals set staffing continuity and the academic calendar for the coming year and authorize student travel permitted under board policy. The executive-session motion signals the trustees will discuss negotiations behind closed doors under the law's allowable purposes.

Procedural notes: The transcript provides policy codes (BEDH, AC, IJOA, GCFB, GCFE) when board rules and contract policies are referenced; the record does not include detailed vote tallies for each motion, so exact counts are recorded as "not specified" in the transcript.