ROCKPORT, Maine — While Superintendent Maria Libby plans to retire from the Five-Town Community School District and Camden-Rockport Schools at the end of this school year, she may not be entirely off the payroll.
The district is considering retaining her services as an on-call consultant to help with the leadership transition as the new superintendent, Leigh Anne Neal, takes over.
“The board is working to ensure that smooth and seamless transition,” School Board Chair Marcus Mrowka said. “And one piece we are looking at, which is very common in Maine and across the nation, is having outgoing Superintendent Libby be available to consult with Dr. Neal as she sees fit through a small, limited-time contract.”
He could not provide a dollar amount for this service since no contract agreement has been reached.
“Neither a contract nor an amount of money has been determined,” he said. “The board is continuing conversations on this topic and will make a decision later in the school year or over the summer.”
Asked if there were any documents or meeting discussions to refer to on these deliberations, he said the board has discussed this in closed-door executive sessions as this is a personnel matter.
The school districts announced in early February that they had hired Kansas educator and administrator Neal to take over for Libby in an initial two-year contract for $170,000.
Mrowka sees benefits to keeping Libby in a consultant role.
“A potential contract would allow Dr. Neal to reach out to the outgoing superintendent as she sees fit. For example, instead of spending hours trying to reach someone at the Maine DOE with a question or searching through old documents, Dr. Neal would be able to pick up the phone and tap into the decades of experience Superintendent Libby has had with the district.”
At the same time, the Camden-Rockport and Five-Town Community school districts have unveiled their proposed 2026-27 budgets, which include reductions in some positions driven by declining enrollment.
At the March 4 school board meeting, the recommended budget included a reduction of the Hatchery Workshop Manager position, which would be covered by other staff. The overall Hatchery Coordinator and program will continue, Mrowka said, but it would just be staffed differently.
It was noted at the meeting that the budget calls for increases to central office administration staff, which school officials said is needed because they are overwhelmed and understaffed.
Concerns were also raised about positions that could be cut or impacted. SAD 28 covers prekindergarten through eighth grade for the two towns and the budget calls for eliminating nearly eight full-time positions. The reductions in positions include a third-grade teacher, four educational technicians, a resource room teaching position at the middle school, and reducing a Spanish teaching position in the lower grades to half time.
Mrowka argues, however, that it is not a matter of a trade-off.
“As a board, we are committed to providing our students with the world-class education they deserve while being fair to taxpayers. We are facing a decline in student enrollment and that requires us to evaluate staffing needs. The conversations the board is having are about rightsizing staff to meet the reality of declining enrollment, while providing the same level of instructional excellence that parents and our community expect and that our students deserve.”
He goes on to say, “Separate and apart from that, we have a new superintendent coming. It is in the best interest of our students, staff, and schools to ensure that she is well-supported and that there is a smooth transition.”
If she does end up working as consultant, it will not be Libby’s only post-retirement gig. Since December, she has also served as the superintendent of schools for Monhegan.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.