Westbrook School Superintendent Stan Sawyer will remain on the job for a second year after retiring.
The Westbrook School Committee, at its Feb. 27 meeting, asked Sawyer, 62, to stay. Sawyer officially retired in June 2007, but was rehired immediately for the 2007-2008 school year. At the time, School Committee members cited the school consolidation law and the building of the new middle school as large projects that would benefit from the continuity of keeping Sawyer on board.
Now, however, consolidation plans still haven’t been set and no dirt has been turned at the site of the new building – both reasons to have Sawyer stay yet another year, according to the committee.
“There’s a lot of balls in the air,” said School Committee Chairman Greg Smith.
At a March 3 vote of the Regionalization Planning Committee, whose members have been studying consolidation among the Westbrook, Windham and Raymond school districts, Windham and Raymond members voted against pursuing the merger of the three districts.
Windham and Raymond officials said the cost savings – which was calculated at $200,000 for the first year of consolidation, taking into account start-up costs – was not enough to make a three-district merger feasible.
Sawyer said he was “very disappointed” about the decision.
“I think there would be a lot of additional savings,” he said Monday about the coming years.
Even though, because of its size, Westbrook is not required by law to merge with another school district, Sawyer said he is already talking to other neighboring districts about consolidation possibilities. He said it was too early to name them.
Sawyer said that he and City Administrator Jerre Bryant have also been discussing ways to consolidate resources between the city offices and the schools in areas such as human resources, financial and business functions and payroll. Sawyer suggested reusing the junior high school as a new city hall – a place for the administration from both the schools and the city to come together.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding consolidation, a delay in bonding the middle school project is another reason the committee said it would feel more comfortable with Sawyer as superintendent.
Originally, bonding for the middle school project was scheduled for May, but January, the state moved the date forward to October. The state has issued a portion of the anticipated bond to the city to cover pre-construction costs until the full bond is awarded. Sawyer said in January the delay would not affect the construction schedule or the cost of the project.
Last May, residents approved the $29.4 million school, of which the state will fund $26 million, and authorized $4.1 million in local spending to pay for an auditorium. The school is to be located on the 65-acre former DeWolfe property at 471 Stroudwater St., The 135,000-square-foot school is to open in 2010 and replace Wescott Junior High.
Sawyer said he is looking forward to another year in Westbrook.
“I’m very pleased that the School Committee has the trust in my abilities to continue as superintendent of schools,” he said Tuesday.
Sawyer’s salary through June 2009 has yet to be negotiated, but he will collect both that salary and his pension, as he did last year. The decision to rehire Sawyer immediately after he retired last June did not sit well with all of the School Committee members.
Tim Crellin, who is no longer on the committee, said then he was “philisophically opposed” to Sawyer retaining his job and collecting his pension.
Crellin’s wife, Tina Crellin, who was the human resources director for Westbrook at the time, said while there was no written policy in place, the city does not allow employees to retire and be rehired immediately for the same position. She said the practice happened in the past, specifically with Police Chief Paul McCarthy, but new administration and the human resources department did not allow it any more. She said the practice is not considered good personnel policy.
Sawyer’s contract through June 2008 included a salary of $96,200, an additional $20,500 payment to a tax shelter annuity and a $3,400 health insurance stipend.
After the decision to rehire Sawyer last year, the School Committee was scheduled to start its search for a new superintendent in the fall. According to Colleen Hilton, school committee vice chairwoman, because the committee didn’t know until recently whether it would be looking for a superintendent for Westbrook or for all three districts, that search was delayed.
Now, Hilton will lead a superintendent search committee, which is beginning to form. Hilton said she expected it to take about a year to hire someone for the position.
Though Hilton said she “would never say never” in terms of the possibility of Sawyer staying on beyond June 2009, she said, “We fully intend to move forward with the search.”
According to Sawyer, who built a house in Harpswell with his wife, Jane, “There gets to be a time,” and June 2009 will be it.
Superintendent will remain in his position for a second year after retiring in June 2007.
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