BUXTON, Maine — A member of the Bonny Eagle school board is talking about the decision to violate the district’s nepotism policy and hire the superintendent’s son — a hiring that came just days before that son was accused of sexual assault in another district.
Thursday night, the vice chairman of the Maine School Administrative District 6 board spoke to Portland television station WGME, CBS 13.
Jacob Stoddard says the district was dealing with a “critical shortage” of ed techs in January when Superintendent Frank Sherburne mentioned his 23-year-old son, Zachariah, recently finished his masters degree, was working as an ed tech in the Sacopee Valley district, and was available to hire in the Bonny Eagle district.
Stoddard says Sherburne then recused himself from any decision to hire his son and that it was his decision and the chairman’s to waive the district’s nepotism policy, which restricted hiring a relative of the superintendent.
Zachariah Sherburne was subsequently indicted on charges of gross sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor, in a case in which he allegedly assaulted a 16-year-old student in his previous district.
“Hindsight being 20/20 in the broader events, yes, obviously … I regret that decision,” said Stoddard. “Violating of the nepotism policy with the critical shortage of ed techs, in a limited scope, in a limited area to draw employees from, we still have a shortage of ed techs.”
Stoddard says all decisions were made in “good faith”, adding Bonny Eagle should consider changing its nepotism policy, saying it’s even more strict than the state requires.
Stoddard also says he considers this matter essentially settled in his district since the criminal charge against Zachariah Sherburne involves the Sacopee Valley district, not Bonny Eagle.