CARIBOU, Maine – RSU 39 school district will have a new but familiar leader when the new school year starts in August.
Jane McCall, currently the district’s assistant superintendent, will become interim superintendent July 1 for the 2023-34 school year.
Current superintendent Tim Doak will step down on June 30, having accepted the position of superintendent for the York School Department in York County. Doak was superintendent for RSU 39, which serves Caribou and Stockholm, and SAD 20 in Fort Fairfield for eight and seven years, respectively.
He will leave Aroostook after a more than 30-year career in the region.
The district announced McCall’s appointment today on its website, following a Monday vote by the RSU 39 school board.
“Jane has been an outstanding employee these last seven years. She puts students first and has helped make our district competitive with its programming,” Doak said. “She is fully capable of running any district and I know she’ll be great for RSU 39.”
McCall has been assistant superintendent for RSU 39 since 2016. Prior to that, she was principal of the former Hilltop Elementary School in Caribou and taught grades 1 and 5 at Fort Fairfield Elementary School in SAD 20.
She also heads SAD 24 in Van Buren following the 2021 departure of superintendent Elaine Boulier.
In 2009, McCall was named National Distinguished Principal of the Year by Maine’s National Association of Elementary School Principals.
The RSU 39 school board will begin the search for a permanent replacement for Doak in early 2024, a popular time for that type of job search, Doak said.
For the remainder of this school year, McCall will work closely with Doak to prepare for the transition.
McCall praised Doak’s leadership as RSU 39 superintendent.
“Tim has a deep passion for public education,” McCall said. “He continually researches new and innovative practices and looks for opportunities to take our district to the next level.”