BREWER, Maine — The Brewer School Committee voted 3-2 to not extend the contract of Superintendent of Schools Jay McIntire after a lengthy series of meetings in executive session Wednesday night.
The committee’s newest members, Mark Farley and Holly Lundquist, were the dissenting votes. Chairman Kevin Forrest, vice chairwoman Dani O’Halloran and member Julie Milan were in favor of letting McIntire’s contract expire.
McIntire’s two-year contract paying him $107,100 a year expires in June.
The committee continued to be mum on the reasons for not wanting to keep McIntire, but he offered his perspective Thursday.
“School board members have a very serious responsibility and opportunity, and it’s very important that they are comfortable with their superintendent,” McIntire said. It’s important that a level of “teamwork or partnership” emerge in the relationship between a school board and its superintendent, he added. When that doesn’t happen, it’s a “good signal that the match isn’t working well.”
“They’re searching for a better match,” said McIntire, a Hampden native who was hired in 2013 after serving as superintendent of schools in Milton, New Hampshire.
Brewer City Councilor Joe Ferris spoke Wednesday night in support of the superintendent prior to the executive sessions, calling on the board to patch up whatever issues caused the division. He said this issue was far too important to be decided by such a narrow margin.
“This is like a firing,” Ferris said. “It’s not a good situation when you’re taking this action that you are in a 3-2 vote.”
“This isn’t the kind of atmosphere you want to have,” especially when the school district is dealing with difficult budget seasons and trying to encourage students and families to come to the district, Ferris added. City Councilor Jerry Goss also was in attendance.
During a public comment session after the vote, former City Councilor Larry Doughty questioned the committee, hoping to learn more about the reasons behind their vote. Forrest responded that this was a public comment session, meant for gathering input from the public, not for debate, so it was not the right time for the committee to respond to questions.
Forrest said that the committee would answer questions during its next meeting on Jan. 5 “as appropriate under statute,” which could mean that very little will be revealed. The committee has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter, calling it a “personnel issue,” meaning the committee doesn’t have to reveal anything about the discussions related to McIntire’s appointment.
Former Chairman Michael Hutchins, who no longer is on the board, has said that there was nothing disciplinary behind the debate and there had been no “wrongdoing” on the part of the superintendent.
McIntire also has declined to go into any depth about what the issues are between him and the committee, but has confirmed that he has been searching for new work in area school departments.
During a meeting in November, the committee, which then included members Hutchins and Janet McIntosh in place of Lundquist and Farley, voted 3-2 to start the search for a new superintendent. Forrest, O’Halloran and Milan were the three members in support of both the motion to start the search and the motion to not renew McIntire’s contract.
Forrest did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment sent Thursday morning.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter @nmccrea213.