Topsham-area school board begins in-person interviews in superintendent search

The Topsham-area school board held interviews for a new superintendent Wednesday, but it’s not yet clear who the candidates are or how many are in the running.

“The board will meet again on Monday, March 21,” Board Chair Holly J.P. Kopp wrote in an e-mail to The Times Record. “The process has been great with input from various stakeholders. I have found the process to be positive and collaborative, and I look forward to welcoming a new superintendent to our district.”

The interviews took place in a session closed to the public, which is routine when a public board is choosing a new administrator.

This has been the fifth time in four years the school department has attempted to fill the superintendent position.

Robert Lucy has been serving as interim superintendent since July 2021.

Lucy was hired to fill in for former Superintendent Shawn Chabot when Chabot was called to active duty by the Maine Army National Guard.

Chabot had replaced former Superintendent Brad Smith, who retired in June 2018.

Assistant Superintendent Dan Chuhta had assumed the role of interim superintendent until February 2019, when he left to become Maine’s deputy education commissioner.

Maine School Administrative District 75 leadership has faced significant headwinds recently, and at least six board members have resigned over the past three years.

Most recently, former Harpswell representative Alison Hawkes resigned in January, citing what she called a “toxic atmosphere.”

The board and superintendent have also faced criticism over COVID-19 protocols, including masking mandates, and a recent board meeting was adjourned shortly after it started over the refusal by several students present to wear masks, violating district policy.