WINTHROP — Becky Foley, who has served since last year as the interim superintendent of the Winthrop Public Schools, has agreed to remain the town’s superintendent of schools for another three years.

The town’s School Board voted unanimously last week to keep Foley in the position. She had been serving as interim superintendent since September, after Superintendent Jim Hodgkin resigned in August.

Foley, a longtime school administrator, said she enjoys being back in a leadership position and hopes she has had a positive impact on Winthrop’s schools.

“I am thrilled to accept the position of superintendent of schools for next year,” Foley said. “As the interim superintendent, I hope I have proven how passionate I am about improving student achievement and building strong teams. It seems this work has just begun and so I’m excited to continue this journey with our administrative team to ensure the success of all students in Winthrop Public Schools.”

Hodgkin resigned over ongoing conflicts with two members of the School Board. Foley, who served previously as superintendent in Freeport-based Regional School Unit 5, took over about a week later.

In Foley’s first year, she found and corrected a hole of $700,000 in the fiscal year’s budget and worked through issues with the four faulty Lion Electric Co. school buses obtained through a federal program.

Foley’s salary through June 30 is $138,793, plus $1,000 annually for in-state mileage and $50 a month for a cellphone. She is to be paid $142,956 yearly from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.

Alicia Lawson, the chairperson of the School Board, said Wednesday that three people had applied for the position when it was posted in January. By the time interviews were to begin in early February, two of the applicants had dropped out after finding jobs elsewhere.

Lawson helped arrange the 12-member committee responsible for finding the town’s next school superintendent. The committee included representatives of the administration, principals and parents from the community. To find parents to sit on the committee, Lawson posted a survey on the the Winthrop Public Schools website and sent a text message blast to the school district’s messaging system.

“We had at least 30 folks express interest,” Lawson said. “In addition to their information, we wanted them to identify their stakeholder groups and why they wanted to serve. I went through the responses and chose a mix of different voices that represent each stakeholder group.”

Lawson, who with Erica Dennett sat on the search committee to represent the School Board, said she was pleased with the search process.

“Dr. Foley has been a blessing to the Winthrop Public Schools, and we are thrilled she has accepted our offer to be Winthrop’s new full-time superintendent,” Lawson said. “We are confident and excited to be heading in the right direction, focused on students and their academic achievement.”