001I don't know. We have agenda. [Music] You're good. Okay. Uh, that's very weird without a mic. Good evening. Welcome to the RSU 5 board of directors meeting. It is Wednesday, June 25th, 2025. We are here at the Freeport High School Library for a special session at 5:00 pm. Uh we have the board that will be here this evening. We have a few folks not joining us, but we will carry on in their absence and start with the uh pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, so the quickest agenda on record, but I will deviate for just one second um because this is the last board meeting for
002a few board members. So Cheyenne will be uh will be getting done at the end of June. Uh just a quick reminder for folks in Freeport um if you are interested in that seat which will uh be an appointed seat from July Augustish until November when there will be an election and uh her seat will be on the the ballot for one year. She is finishing her second year on the board. Time flies when you're having fun. So sorry about that confusion last week. Uh so thank you Cheyenne for all the work you put into the board. really appreciate your your uh your input and your and your smile. So, um I will miss this one. Um so, thank you. And then also uh my vice chair, Beth Mson. Um do we do this already?
003No. Um so, I just want to say thank you to you for all the work you've put in. six years, seven years, six years on the board uh and the last several as uh as the vice chair and putting up with my chaos. And so, thank you for keeping me orderly. Um I really appreciate it and we expect to see you at board meetings even though all your kids are gone and you probably have better things to do on Wednesday nights, but we will be thinking of you fondly. As will I. Yeah. So, thank you. All right. So, on to the business of the meeting. Uh, do I have a motion for consideration and approval on the election of a superintendent of schools? Do we not say who it is in the motion? Oh, I
004didn't. Okay, that's the motion. I want I'm going to change my motion. Do I have a motion for consideration and approval uh to elect Thomas Gray as the superintendent of schools for RSU5 for a period of three years? Mora and Anna. Thank you. Uh any discussion, Colin? No. I guess I would just like to say a couple of things about this process. Um, one, I would say that the board is extremely excited to be bringing uh Tom on board here at RSU5. I think he is going to align really nicely with who we are today and who we want to be down the road. Um, he comes to us from RSU40 up the coast as the current assistant superintendent. Um, and nearly 30 years in education, I think if I added that math up right.
005Quite a while. Yeah, it's been a while. Uh so we are um it was a it was a um a thorough process. Uh we we worked with MSMA to create a committee. So a huge thanks to the the superintendent search committee. Um I sent a a message out um expressing the board's thanks to them today. It was parents and teachers and administrators and students. It was a wonderful group of folks who did a a lot of work to get through all those packages and um do interviews and the board did second interviews. So it was a thorough process. Uh we had um a a great pool of folks and we are very excited uh assuming you all vote yes to welcome uh Tom RSU 5. So any other comments commentary? Just I guess a note
006on timing um because he is still in contract. He'll be in district starting full-time sort of mid August, but we'll have some days between now and then. He'll work with Jean. She's already got her pile of stuff for him that she's working on. So, um, so we will get him, uh, up to speed as quickly and efficiently as we can. And I have no doubt, um, we'll be hearing from him, uh, pretty frequently between now and the start of school. So, other comments, questions? All right. So, we have a motion, we have a second. All those in favor, resounding yes. Unanimous. Thank you very much. Welcome. Congratulations. I'm so thrilled. I'm just I'm thrilled and I'm bowled over. Like I'm speechless at the whole thing. Um I won't I won't give a speech. I'm really
007grateful. Really grateful. So I will give give this to my heart. All right. We are looking forward to it. All right. So uh then I would take a motion to adjurnn. Beth and Cheyenne. always on their last vote. Uh, all those in favor, see you guys in August or maybe at the school. Not to school. Make