BELFAST - In special elections next Tuesday, voters in five towns will choose members for the inaugural Regional School Unit 71 board of directors.

Several contested races in the new district suggest a change from the rote reappointments and half empty ballots that have characterized recent elections in RSU 20, the eight-town district that the five RSU 71 towns are in the process of leaving.

In Belfast, where filling school board seats has been particularly challenging, nine candidates have come forward for five open spots. In Morrill, three are running for a single seat. Searsmont has two candidates for its spot on the board. The field includes all types, from newcomers to former and current school board members, and while their views range widely, most if not all see a major opportunity in the new district.

Belfast candidates were requried to seek terms of one, two or three years this election in order to stagger turnover in the future. As a result, three races have emerged within the city. The ballot looks like this:

1-year term (vote for one): Alan Wood, Ben Potter, Tim Wilson

2-year term (vote for two): Caitlin Hills, Wayne Corey, Charles Grey

3-year term (vote for two): Christopher Hyk, David Crabiel, Allison Goscinski

Five of the candidates — Wood, HIlls, Corey, Grey and Hyk — are current RSU 20 board members. Speaking recently, Hyk acknowledged that there would be an overlap for those representing both boards, but said with the RSU 20 budget finished the majority of the work would be in shaping the new district.

“It’s going to take a huge amount of time and effort from whomever gets it,” he said.

An antiques dealer who is serving his second term on the RSU 20 board, Hyk expressed hope that the new, smaller board would attract more dedicated members, who could bring in talented administrators. Among larger goals, Hyk said RSU 71 should go to merit-based promotion for teachers instead of the current system, which favors seniority. He also said RSU 20 has been hamstrung by small class sizes, which cost the district more in salaries and also incur direct penalties from the when the number students per teacher fall below state minimums.

“We’re flushing like $600,000 down the drain every year [in RSU 20] because we don’t meet those quotas,” he said. If the teacher of a small class has seniority, Hyk said the financial hit just becomes larger. The money saved from these changes could end up as savings or be used to expand the offerings in the district.

“We have 22 surplus teachers,” he said. “Some of them have to go and there’s no reason we can’t get a full arts program in here. It’s ridiculous.”

Facing Hyk in Belfast’s three-year bracket are Allison Goscinski and David Crabiel. Both have children in the district and are seeking elected office for the first time and each comes with business experience.

Goscinski, who works as food service manager for Genesis Health Care at Harbor Hill, said she was motivated to run for the RSU 71 board by a combination of factors, including the “investment” of having three children in the school district, the opportunity of helping to shape the new district and a personal belief in public service.

Her work involves budgets for food, labor and supplies. “So that is something I deal with daily,” she said. “I’m definitely frugal by nature. Having said that, important things are worth paying for.”

On her decision to run for a three-year term right out of the gate, she said, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing for more than one year.”

Crabiel, a local businessman, said he’d been “kicking around the idea” of serving on the school board for around 10 years. The creation of a new district, he said, tipped the balance.

“It’s a great opportunity to get the school board in a better position to lead the schools and set a new tone for the school board and set a new tone for the district,” he said.

Crabiel said the board would benefit from having more business-oriented members like himself. One of the first jobs of the new board will be to hire a superintendent, a position Crabiel described as the “CEO” of the district. Having the right leader could make all the difference he said.

“Obviously, they’ve had some very good superintendents in the past,” he said, naming Bruce Mailloux and Carol Robbins. The Belfast City Council’s decision to hire City Manager Joe Slocum was another example of elected officials picking the a good administrator, he said.

In the race between Crabiel, Goscinski and Hyk, one of the candidates will draw the short straw, but each of them said the number of people running was a good sign.

“It think that’s fantastic, to have every seat in Belfast contested,” Crabiel said. “I love it. It’s going to give us the best change to hire the best people for the positions and not just have the Council pick whoever’s there. I’m very optimist about this election whether I win or lose. I’m optimistic how the RSU is going to be going forward.”

Elections for the RSU 71 board of directors will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13 in each of the new district’s five towns. Absentee ballots are available now. The board will have nine directors as compared with the 18 on the current RSU 20 board. Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Swanville will each hold one seat. The remaining five will be held by Belfast.

Belfast candidates compared views at a forum Jan. 5. Watch video here.
 

Five towns – the candidates, voter information

Belfast candidates are listed in the article above. Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Boathouse (residents of Wards 1-4) and the United Methodist Church on Mill Lane (Ward 5).

Belmont had no official candidates at the deadline for nominations, according to treasurer Kristen Waterman. “We went hunting for a candidate. We couldn’t find anyone who wanted to run,” she said. Ultimately they found Laura Newsom, who is running as a declared write-in. Voting will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office. Belmont’s current representative on the RSU 20 board, Stephen Hopkins, was outspoken against the withdrawal movement that created RSU 71.

Morrill voters will choose one director from three candidates: Jean Dube, Bernadette Dutra and Molly Feeney. Dube is a former RSU 20 and SAD 34 board member. Dutra and Feeney are seeking office for the first time. Voting will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Community Center. Morrill’s current RSU 20 director is Tony Swebilius.

In Searsmont, Evelyn deFrees faces Jeffrey Austin, who entered the race as a declared write-in. Voting will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Searsmont Community Center. Searsmont’s current RSU 20 director is Valerie Mank.

Swanville will have one candidate on the ballot, Fredric Black. Voting will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office. Swanville’s current RSU 20 director is Alexa Schweikert.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com