BREWER, Maine — A former member of the school board, a product of Brewer schools and a mother with two children in the school system are running to fill a pair of three-year posts on the Brewer School Committee.
Committee members Janet McIntosh and Mike Hutchins, the chairman, are not seeking re-election. Holly Lundquist, Mark Farley and Bobbi Johnson are running to take over those two slots on the five-member board.
Lundquist has lived in Brewer for 35 years and was educated in its schools. She works in billing and customer service for an area heating company. She and her husband have no children but have a niece who lives with them and two nephews, all of whom attend Brewer Community School, she said.
“Since having my niece, I found it crucial to try and get involved in as much of her education as I can,” Lundquist said when asked why she’s running. “I feel passionately that we in Brewer have the best facilities and faculty in the area. I decided my own drive and love of this community would be an asset to the school committee.”
Farley owns local company Farley and Associates, which represents manufacturers throughout the Northeast. His mother, six siblings and two children all graduated from Brewer schools. He served on the Brewer School Committee from 2002 to 2011, and he was chairman for six of those years.
“I believe that I can bring that experience to the board so that together we can achieve positive results for our school department,” Farley said.
Johnson works for Child Welfare Services serving Penobscot and Piscataquis counties. Her family has lived in Brewer since 2003. Her eldest son graduated from Brewer High School last year and is in basic training for the Air National Guard. Her daughter is a senior at Brewer High School, and her younger son is in kindergarten. That age gap “brings a unique perspective to the role of the school committee member as well as an ongoing commitment to the success of our school district,” she said.
Farley and Johnson both stressed the importance of continued efforts to increase graduation rates and improve test scores among the district’s students. Farley urged more integration of science, technology, engineering and math at the elementary level to boost student performance later on. Johnson said school leadership will need to pay careful attention to the effects of charter schools, bullying, substance abuse and other issues that affect student learning.
Lundquist said she wanted to be a “voice for the community,” and she stressed that any action taken by the committee should be in the best interests of the students.
Each candidate acknowledged the challenges presented in accomplishing district goals with limited funding and more mandates coming from the federal and state levels.
Superintendent Jay McIntire said during a recent interview that the next Brewer School Committee will face challenges shared by districts across the state — especially when it comes to paying for student programs ranging from new requirements on lunches to meeting the state’s graduation proficiency requirements.
The committee also could be asked to decide whether the city should borrow more money to finish classroom renovations that haven’t yet been completed in the high school’s $8 million modernization push, he said.
McIntire said the committee also could be faced with a search for a new superintendent. His contract expires in June 2015, and the committee has not offered him a new contract. He’s searching for other job opportunities. McIntire said he’s invested in Brewer, moving his family to the city, and he would entertain an offer to stay, but no such offer has been extended.
Asked whether they would support offering an extension to McIntire, candidates said they would like to learn more about what the sticking points have been preventing the committee from offering him a contract extension. Those talks have been happening behind closed doors in executive session.
Farley said he hears a lot of public support for the superintendent. “It’s a huge job, and I think anyone in that position should be given ample opportunity to prove themselves,” Farley said.
Lundquist said she has “a great deal of respect for Mr. McIntire as an administrator, educator and member of our community.”
Johnson declined to offer a view on the contract, citing lack of knowledge about personnel matters the school committee has been discussing in executive session.
A petition calling on the committee to extend an offer to McIntire has been circulating through town. He was hired in April 2013.
There won’t be any change to the City Council this year, as 12-year Councilor Joe Ferris, who served as mayor from 2005 to 2011, is running unopposed to keep his own seat in chambers.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.