HOULTON, Maine – The search for a new superintendent is about to begin once again for the RSU 29 school district.
Superintendent Richard Lyons informed the board Monday, Jan. 9, that he was sticking to his original plan to leave the school district at the conclusion of his current contract, which expires in June 2024.
Lyons wanted to give the district ample opportunity to find a suitable replacement by starting the process now instead of waiting until he stepped down.
RSU 29 Superintendent Richard Lyons (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
“In my estimation, for a process such as this, it will probably take eight to 10 months (to find a new superintendent),” Lyons said. “Given the dearth of applications throughout the state, I felt it was best to get ahead of the curve now.”
Lyons said he knew of at least 10 current superintendent vacancies in the state, making it considerably more difficult to attract quality candidates to RSU 29.
A native of Masardis, Lyons was hired by the school district in June 2021, replacing Ellen Halliday, who was with the district for six years.
Lyons’ educational career spans more than three decades. Before coming to Houlton, he served as the interim superintendent for RSU 8 (Vinalhaven) as well as the interim superintendent for the state’s Unorganized Territories.
Prior to that, he was superintendent for RSU 22 (Hampden), a post he held from July 1992 until June 2020. He retired from RSU 22 in 2015, but returned to the district after a one-month separation to guide that district for another five years.
Lyons began his educational career as a teacher in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1975. He joined his hometown school, SAD 45 (Washburn), serving as a teacher in that district from July 1976 until June 1978 before becoming a principal in SAD 1 (Presque Isle) from July 1979 to June 1990.
His first superintendent position came in July 1990 when he was named the head of SAD 68 (Dover-Foxcroft), where he remained for two years before joining the Hampden school district.
“We knew when we hired Rick that we would have three years with him,” said board chairman Fred Grant. “Since we know that he will be done by June of 2024, we’re starting our search now for our new superintendent.
“If we happen to find the right candidate before his contract expires we will be able to hire the next superintendent and release Rick from his contractual obligation early,” he continued. “In short, we’re not waiting to start our search — we are proactively starting now.”
