Bousquet hired as Penquis Valley principal

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    MILO — Penquis Valley School Interim Principal Jeremy Bousquet will no longer be in an interim position after the school board voted to hire him for the principal’s job for the ensuing two academic years, during a meeting on Jan. 15.
    Before the board’s vote on Bousquet — who was approved in mid-July to lead the school for 2014-15 — several letters were presented. Superintendent Michael Wright, who has been out of the office following shoulder surgery late last year, wrote that Bousquet “has done an excellent job since being nominated last summer.”

    Wright also wrote that he had heard from teachers that the start of the school year was the best they had ever seen at Penquis Valley. The superintendent explained this is due in large part to Bousquet and new Assistant Principal William Vigue.
    Another letter was written by teacher and coach Jason Mills. Mills noted that Bousquet can always be found out in the hallways between class time interacting with students and he has been present at every extracurricular event.
    Board member Alyson Ade asked Bousquet about his vision for the next two years. Bousquet responded by saying when he began he wanted to improve school morale and community relations. He said these are still important and “I would like to continue our mission statement, which is we are supporting and encouraging lifelong learners.”
    “Overall I would like to make sure we are producing productive citizens and productive community members and overall good people,” Bousquet said.
    “Professionally I would like to achieve my doctorial degree and down the road become a superintendent,” he said. Bousquet said some other goals for the next two years would be to increase students’ goals, graduation rates and post-secondary education options and also looking into the long-term future of SAD 41’s facilities.
    “I have said I am not here as a stepping stone,” Bousquet said. “I have been here for eight years and I plan to be here for a bit and I hope people will support me.”
    “For my kids to get up and say they want to go to school is awesome and for my kids to say they are proud of Penquis is awesome,” board member Stacie Martin said. She said she has been very impressed with Bousquet’s enthusiasm and his ability to oversee the teaching staff, a difficult task with many of these faculty being his former colleagues.
    “It would be so detrimental if we do not extend Mr. Bousquet,” Martin said. “This year there is so much change in the school and I attribute that to Mr. Bousquet and Mr. Vigue.”
    “I have never seen so much support for one person, and I have been on this board five years or better now,” board member Leon Farrar said.
    After the vote was made with all board members present voting “yes,” a visibly moved Bousquet said, “I appreciate it, thank you. Thank you to my staff and thank you to (Vigue and Athletic Director and retired teacher and coach Tony Hamlin).
    “I think we just took a big step to better our high school,” board Vice Chair Arthur Herbest said.
    In other business, Herbest mentioned that a meeting of the capital improvement committee will be scheduled — upon Wright’s return. “What we initiated last year was a feasibility study for SAD 41 for what we should do for our schools, short-term and long-term,” he said.
    Architect Steve Blatt of Portland was hired to conduct the study. “It’s a good study; top to bottom, left to right on what we should do,” Herbest said.
    “I highly encourage anyone that has the ability to attend and understand what we have done for work for that,” Herbest said about the future committee meeting to look at the feasibility study.
    Part of the current fiscal year’s spending plan is funding for a school bus purchase. “You have already approved this when you approved the budget, “Assistant Superintendent Stacy Shorey said before the board voted to formally approve the transaction.
    The new bus is a 72-passenger Thomas Freightliner with a three-year lease/purchase agreement for a little more than $86,700 through the Gorham Leasing Group. The interest rate is fixed at 2.7 percent, for $29,739 annually over the three years. The Maine Department of Education will reimburse SAD 41 at a rate of approximately 85 percent of what the district spends.
    “He is making progress,” Shorey said in saying Wright is undergoing physical therapy post-surgery. She said she talks with him daily and “he’s got his pulse on everything happening here.”
    In a written report Wright said the budget process for the 2016 fiscal year will be starting soon. The first step is to ask the principals about projected needs in their schools for 2015-16. From there will be a series of administrative team meetings before the school board starts its budget workshops.