As new assistant superintendent for the Augusta schools, Mike Tracy faces a homecoming

Mike Tracy, seen Tuesday in his office in North Anson, is leaving his position as superintendent of Regional School Unit 74 to begin duties as assistant superintendent with the Augusta Public Schools, where he graduated from and later was a teacher. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

AUGUSTA — Mike Tracy is excited to “go home.”

Home for Tracy is back to Augusta, where he grew up. He graduated from Cony High School, where he later taught for eight years.

Now, on Aug. 1, he will become the assistant superintendent for the Augusta Public School Department.

“I think that’s what I keep going back to in my mind,” Tracy said in an interview. “I’m getting to serve the educational community that grew me.”

Tracy was approved for the role last Wednesday at the Augusta Board of Education meeting in a 5-1 vote, with board member Kati McCormick the lone dissenter. Staci Fortunato, Martha Witham, Pia Holmes, Rita Pello and Kevin Lamoreau voted in favor. Kimberly Martin was not at that meeting.

McCormick said before she voted that she is “cautiously optimistic” for Tracy, but “won’t be voting on this” to support Tracy’s hire. Asked later to explain her no vote, McCormick declined further comment. The board’s policy is for board members to refer media questions to the board chair and superintendent to comment.

Tracy faced controversy from parents and students in 2019 in his former district, Regional School Unit 74, when he placed a teacher on administrative leave while there was a pending investigation for “inappropriate behavior” toward students. The teacher later resigned after officials determined the teacher had violated six out of 10 items in the district’s code of conduct.

When the Kennebec Journal asked Tracy this week if he had a comment about the situation, Tracy said he will “never have an apology for protecting students.”

Tracy will replace Assistant Superintendent Katherine Grondin, whose resignation was accepted. She will take on a new role as superintendent at Litchfield-area RSU 4, where she worked formerly.

Tracy will formally start on Aug 1, though there is overlap when he starts at Augusta and finishes up in RSU 74. He will be at the Aug. 3 board meeting for RSU 74 and finish in the district on Aug. 5. In RSU 74, Tracy oversaw a district with just under 700 students and four schools and will be coming into a district with almost triple the amount of students, at 2,300, and seven schools.

He will be paid $124,125 a year in the Augusta role, starting Aug. 1.

“I think I share a little bit of nostalgia, I like to call it a job with my eyes wide open, sorted by the realities of doing a difficult job balanced with doing the work of getting to serve the community that raised you,” he said.

Tracy took the role as superintendent in RSU 74 in 2017 and has overseen the four schools in the district for five years. RSU 74 serves the Somerset County towns of Anson, Embden, New Portland and Solon.

He moved to Southern California with his family — wife Jessi and three children — in 2013 for a new experience. Tracy served as headmaster of Temecula Preparatory School for a couple years, then moved back to Maine in 2016 to be back with family.

But Tracy’s career started at Cony High School as a history teacher after he graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington with a degree in education in 2000. He received a master’s degree from the University of Maine in Orono in 2008 for educational leadership and administration, then an educational specialist degree in 2020, also from UMaine.

“I intend to listen and learn and plan to spend a lot of time learning and trying to serve the people of Augusta, where there is a tremendous staff,” he said. “I taught with some at Cony High School 15 years ago and I hope to bring an open mind and an open door to resource people and support them.”

Tracy said he is looking forward to working in a larger district with a team. He said in Augusta, the superintendent, Jim Anastasio; the business manager, Kathy Casparius; and assistant superintendent work closely together in a partnership.

Board Chair Amanda Olson said during the board meeting Wednesday that she “is inspired by (Tracy’s) contagious energy” and said Tracy’s goals closely align with the board’s goals. She namely mentioned his use of data to make decisions in the district.

Olson said she was part of the selection process for Tracy, as was fellow board member Holmes, who was equally “impressed” with Tracy as Olson was.

“Hearing you speak with enthusiasm about goals that are shared with the board around curriculum, the use of data for direction …” Olson said at the meeting. “I’m excited for those reasons, but also because you are from Augusta, that’s not an eligibility requirement, but it does evoke a level of passion for community and commitment.”