WINTHROP — The Winthrop School Board on Wednesday took the first small steps in the search for a new superintendent following the resignation earlier this month of Jim Hodgkin.

Jim Hodgkin, pictured here in 2023.

Members heard a presentation from Steve Bailey, executive director of the Maine School Management Association, on the timeline and scope of a superintendent search should the board decide to seek the group’s help.

If Winthrop Schools chooses to use MSMA to conduct the search, it would cost the district $2,500-$6,000, according to Bailey. A search usually takes at least three months, he said, and the candidate pool is often larger at the midpoint or end of the school year than it is at the start.

It would be up to the board to decide whether to hire an interim superintendent if a full-time hire isn’t in place in time, Bailey said.

Hodgkin, who was not at Wednesday’s board meeting, submitted his resignation Aug. 1 and will step down Nov. 1. In his resignation letter, Hodgkin cited friction with two unnamed School Board members who he said were not fulfilling their elected duties.

Hodgkin has had public disagreements on more than one occasion with members Monika McLaughlin and Ivy Corliss. Corliss and McLaughlin previously told the Kennebec Journal that they did not have a comment on Hodgkin’s resignation letter.

The board did not take action Wednesday on how it would like to conduct the search and did not have any discussion on the matter.

Several school districts in central Maine have used MSMA’s services to search for a new superintendent, like Hallowell-based Regional School Unit 2 and more recently, Augusta Public Schools.

By law, the school system must have a superintendent in place, and the superintendent reports to the school board.

Alicia Lawson, the Winthrop board chairperson, said the superintendent search at the start of the year will not deter the board’s dedication to putting students first.

“I’m feeling optimistic (about the start of school) and I know the board is hoping to be forward minded and show the community that we are putting the interest of students first, as well as their academics,” she said.