ORONO, Maine — Orono Middle School Principal Robert Lucy is leaving for a post in the Bangor school system less than two months after the RSU 26 board voted to eliminate his job and later decided to reinstate it.
He announced his decision to take an assistant superintendent job in Bangor this week.
“While I am excited about this new opportunity in the Bangor School Department, I will truly miss the wonderful school community at Orono Middle School,” Lucy said in an interview Friday afternoon.
Superintendent Douglas Smith informed the RSU 26 board of Lucy’s decision during Wednesday night’s board meeting, according to Lisa Buck of Orono, chairwoman of the board.
Lucy said he is taking the Bangor job because it is “an opportunity for professional growth and a new challenge for me,” not because of recent turmoil in the Orono/Veazie/Glenburn school district.
His decision comes less than two months after the school board voted to eliminate Lucy’s job, as well as the principal’s position at Orono’s Asa C. Adams School, as part of a plan to close a significant budget shortfall.
The plan was to hire one administrator to serve as principal for both schools. Some residents decried the plan, arguing it might compromise school safety and quality. Others backed it, saying they would rather use money saved by cutting an administrator to keep teachers.
Lucy said he applied for the Bangor position after he saw it posted sometime in March, the same month that the RSU 26 board first voted on the fate of the administrative positions.
A month later, the board reversed its decision when it voted to reinstate both principal positions.
At that April 11 meeting, John Lucy, a lawyer and Robert Lucy’s brother, said he believed eliminating the two Orono administrators would have resulted in a breach of contract and possibly litigation if the board didn’t restore the positions.
Robert Lucy said he is excited to take his new post in Bangor, where he has lived for the past 26 years. His three daughters went through the Bangor school system, which he said has “visionary leadership” from its school board, its superintendent and its administrators.
“I was very impressed with the Bangor School Department’s strategic plan,” Lucy said, adding that it matches well with his educational philosophy.
“It’s very student-oriented and it really focuses on personalized, achievement-oriented instruction for all students,” Lucy said.
Bangor school committee Chairwoman Phyllis Guerette said she was excited that Lucy chose to come work for Bangor schools.
“I’m delighted,” Guerette said Friday afternoon. “I think he’s going to do an excellent job for us.”
She said Lucy’s experience and commitment to students made him an ideal candidate.
Lucy spent 28 years working in Orono schools and the last 12 years as principal of Orono Middle School.
Buck said Friday that there isn’t yet a plan for filling the soon-to-be-vacant Orono Middle School principal position.
“The board is going to have to decide how they want to handle that,” Buck said, adding that a special meeting will be scheduled to discuss the board’s options.
Buck said she had no comment on Lucy’s decision to leave.
Lucy will start his new job on July 1.
He will be missed In Orono
Well, back to Plan A, Riverside RSU. Just add the middle school to the elementary school portfolio, and you’re all set.
This plan was a bad idea from the very beginning. politicians saying.. oh it will save money. Where is the savings? This was not a well thought out plan. And you are taking a big gamble on education. These kids are the future generation of the state of Maine., and you need to get your act together or this will cost you more money down the road . Good luck to you Mr Lucy you will be missed.
Even in the forrest the most intelligent creatures are the first to flee when they sense a fire and the chaos that comes with it.
Can anyone tell me what was gained by all these RSU and AOS consolidations? And what is going to be the next “great” idea that the state is going to come up with next? Seems to be a convoluted mess.
The next “great” idea the state will come up with is going to be the consolidation of small-to-middle-sized towns. That was let slip by some yahoo in Augusta and I commented on it at the time.
It’ll be done the same way -by telling people of alllll the money that will be saved by consolidation, getting the buy-in of the Augusta bureaucrats and the legislators, then the Selectmen of those towns. Then they’ll pass a law requiring consolidation of these towns in order to get any kind of revenue sharing from the State and the people will HAVE to go along with it in order for it to not raise their taxes.
Some towns – towns that have administrators who think for themselves – won’t go along with it and the State will refuse to send any money their way. A saving for the state and in increase in the municipal budget.
Most towns will go along with it and the state will tell them that because of the decrease in their spending the state’s share of the town’s expenses will go down – but unfortunately not enough to offset the decrease in state funding. A saving for the state but an increase in the municipal budget.
Be aware of it, look for it, and squash it like a bug when you see it.
Do you honestly believe school systems would have more money had consolidation not happened? If you are, you are fooling yourself. If you want to blame immature school boards for not being able to work together (again, somebody remind me why Old Town and Orono didn’t consolidate years ago), then that is not the state’s fault.
Consolidation plans are far from perfect. However, with the poor economy we have had for the past few years, without consolidation, cuts would have been worse each year, no doubt.
I certainly don’t blame Mr. Lucy for moving up to an asst superintendent position, regardless of whether the RSU reinstated his position or not.
Mr.Lucy was the highest payed principal in the state of Maine with only about 150 students. Although he will be missed by many, perhaps the savings can be put toward better use…Good luck to Mr. Lucy!
Mary…..you get what you pay for.
Wrong….We got Betsy and she isn’t worth what she is paid.
Bangor might have High test scores But also one of the highest dropout rates in Maine. Adjust for teacher pay and family income it look even worse. Far from the lowest paid teaches or the poorest.
I have seen a lot in this world and sometimes you do not get the best when you pay the most you get screwed . I know in my field even others like Garages , Plumbers ect, It is not always how much you pay it is how honest they are. Is Harley the Plumber better than others? I have been on jobs where they sent unlicensed ( against the law in Maine)Green help and still charged $100 an hour. Not Saying they do not do good work most the time but far from the best . Are test scores more important than kids dropping out? I guess it depends on how you look at it.
Sadly that isn’t true when it comes to education. Pay is based on years in the system not on quality of the job.
I’ve been a public school teacher so I know that can be true. Bangor seems to think that he’s worth the money and I’ll bet he’ll be missed rgardless of the savings.
Now he can be the highest paid assistant superintendent In the state of Maine.
I have had three children go through the Orono Middle School with Bob Lucy. He runs a tight ship and Orono is going to lose a dedicated educator/administrator. Best of luck to him in Bangor. And our family thanks him and his team for helping Orono MS become a National Blue Ribbon School. I would find it sad if this is a result of some short-sighted members of the RSU.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/09/15/education/orono-eliot-schools-receive-national-award/?ref=relatedBox
RSU 26 served Mr. Lucy a hot plate of disrespect and expected him to come back for seconds?
I don’t think so, Orono.
Nice get, Bangor!
Good riddance!
Bob Lucy did eveerything he could to keep my children out of the Orono school system. I think,he has some major issues.
Now he can work with DR. Webb to keep kids out of Bangor. No wonder these schools have high test scores at the same time have very high drop out rates . Anyways people do not want to see or see the facts.
Control..
Another 85k per year plus beneifits. Smart move Mr. Lucy good luck.
100k I think , maybe 85k to start. he has came a long ways since being a Gym teacher. If that is the same MR. Lucy I remember. It show sports sometime mean more than education.
That was the way it was in Orono always. I can remember playing Football against him at Bucksport they always thought they where about to hairs better then anyone else. He will fit right in perfect in the Bangor school system . City Hall is a revolving door for management. They are acountable to no one. Welcome to the Bangor High Lucy and Hackett Rams!!!
Jocks get special treatment . Remember the 3 Bangor jocks never charged with anything in a homicide ?
One of the parents works at city hall in the school system and is going to be Lucy boss I think.
Bangor is trying to recruit kids from all over . Including Hudson ,Corinth, Kenduskeag, Bradford. How money is spent on the letters and time to recruit. DR. Webb wants to be all powerful.
I’ve gotten mailings from Bangor High, and I’m a junior at HA!
Recruit the kids let them drop out and still get paid tuition ? I have no idea exactly what the game is but it has nothing to do with educating kids it has to do with money.
At least he won’t spend all his time shopping at Talbot’s.
At least the Orono Middle School can now sell off its vast collection of Marxist-Leninist writings and not worry about offending the powers that be. BACK TO BASICS! TIME FOR TEA PARTY LEADERSHIP IN THE ORONO PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
Emily Cain is the architect of this incredible mess. She represents Orono. These questions and concerns need to be directed to her. The entire process has been a disgrace, and the legislators responsible need to be held accountable. I think Ms. Cain will hope voters forget how this RSU debacle began. Cain inserted it in the budget (as a member of the Appropriations Committee) and circumvented the Education Committee. The budget was built upon false savings, and a flawed, politically motivated blueprint. The scorched earth created by this legislation (authored by Rep. Cain) has divided most communities and has delivered no savings. Good people like Bob Lucy are the victims, as are the taxpayers and the children. The RSU debacle will take years to undo. However, voters must not forget how we got to this place.
Cain needs to go,! Please people, don’t give her a full time government job.