SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — School Administrative District 35 Superintendent Mary C. Nash and longtime board member Fred Wildnauer publicly announced their retirements at the school district’s meeting Wednesday night.
“It is time to provide the (school board) and the community with notice of my retirement,” Nash told the SAD 35 board of directors.
Nash was hired by the board in 2011. Her retirement will be effective at the end of the current school year in June 2019. She thanked the board members for working with her “each and every day to make our students the instructional heart of our world.”
Nash identified several of the district’s achievements during her tenure as superintendent. These include 100 minutes of lesson planning time for teachers, a capital and programmatic improvement plan, a teacher performance review system, and school board budget and management based on student census.
Nash also cited the district’s technology plan, which, she said, enables students and teachers to benefit from the most current laptops and other technology.
Other district achievements such as the implementation of full-day kindergarten, the sharing of seven professional positions with the Kittery and Noble school systems, and the tuition-based enrollment of Rollinsford students were also touched upon by Nash.
“Every year for the past eight years we have made sound investments in our children,” Nash said. “I will always treasure these years as superintendent for our marvelous students and this district.”
In announcing his retirement, Wildnauer said, “It has really been an honor to serve the board this past nine years. I have been so impressed with how good our leadership is. We have a really good (school) district.
Among his achievements during his tenure, Wildnauer cited his role in helping develop the district’s Outdoor Classroom program, which provides nature-based education for students, and voter-approved passage of nine consecutive school budgets.
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“The teachers and administrators in this district have been amazing,” he said. “Every student I’ve met gives me hope.”
Wildnauer will step down from the board following the election of the next South Berwick representative on Nov 6.
SAD 35 Chairwoman Kerri Tice thanked Wildnauer and Nash for their service. She praised Wildnauer for his “very valuable viewpoint for nine years. Your commitment, knowledge and opinions will be missed.”
Tice also pointed to Nash’s “exemplary leadership” as superintendent. She then summarized the next steps in finding a replacement for Nash.
“As part of our preparations, I have met with the Kittery and York school boards about their recent superintendent searches,” she said. “They have been very generous with their knowledge and support.”
As a result of such research, said Tice, SAD 35 will advertise for its next superintendent Nov. 1, mainly through such professional job sites as School Spring. The deadline for superintendent applicants will be Dec. 1.
“We will then make it known how people can apply to be on the (superintendent) search committee and finalize the timeline for the hiring of a new superintendent,” Tice said.
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