Who will fill the RSU 21 School Board vacant seat? Five candidates in the running

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — Five candidates are hoping to claim the seat on the RSU 21 School Board that former member Jameson Davis vacated in July.

Residents Thomas Foley, Diane Franz, Donald Gasink, Rachel Kennedy-Smith, and Nina Pearlmutter all filed nomination papers with Town Clerk Tracey O’Roak in time for the deadline on Sept. 1.

All are seeking to represent Kennebunkport on the board. RSU 21 is comprised of Kennebunkport, Kennebunk, and Arundel.

The Kennebunkport Select Board is inviting the candidates to be interviewed at its upcoming meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14, according to Chair Michael Weston.

Weston said the Select Board likely will appoint the successful candidate either at the Sept. 14 meeting or at the next one on Sept. 28. After Davis resigned in July, RSU 21 Superintendent Terri Cooper expressed hopes that a new School Board member could be appointed by the end of September.

Previous story: RSU 21 School Board member quits, blasts focus on diversity, equity

Meet the candidates seeking to join RSU 21 School Board

Foley, an Army veteran, former human resources director and owner of a bed-and-breakfast inn, said he is seeking the seat because “it is time to give back.” He is a longtime volunteer in the community and once served on the SAD 71 School Board, a credential he said will enable him “to hit the ground running” if appointed to the Davis seat.

“I’m definitely a person in favor of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said.

Franz, who is retired after a career with the United Way, was unavailable for comment.

Gasink, an attorney, once served on the school board in Augusta. He said that experience and his time listening and negotiating as a lawyer have prepared him for the RSU 21 School Board position. He described himself as a “careful thinker, slow to get excited.”

“Education is a way for everybody to progress in the United States,” he said. “I have a good sense of what it takes for a school board to function well.”

Kennedy-Smith is a biomedical scientist and mother of three children who attend RSU 21 schools. She also taught at a school and at Columbia University in New York City. She and her family moved to Kennebunkport earlier this year, and she is now coaching a local soccer team.

She said a school board is where education, budgets and communication intersect.

“I really feel called to leadership,” she said.

Pearlmutter, a patent attorney and former assistant professor at Iowa State University, serves as vice chair of the Kennebunkport Planning Board. She too shared why she has decided to seek the RSU 21 School Board seat.

“They need people who understand what the town needs and what teachers and parents and students need,” she said.

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RSU 21 School Board plagued with resignations

As her reason for resigning, Davis cited differences with what she considered to be the focus and direction of the school district.

Davis announced her resignation in a full-page ad in a local newspaper. She accused the school district of being more concerned with matters of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, than with traditional education.

“I cannot in good conscience support the extreme policies that have been implemented,” Davis said. “The pervasive DEI agenda and the erosion of parental rights serve only to insert government where it does not belong.”

Voters elected Davis to her first term on the board in June of 2022.

In a joint letter to the community on July 28, Cooper and School Board Chair Erin Nadeau restated the district’s commitment to DEI.

“We support all of our staff, students and board members,” they said. “We also remain committed to addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, which are critical to the social-emotional well-being and academic success of our students.”

This is the second resignation of an RSU 21 School Board member this year. In March, Ryan McQueen stepped down after some of his posts on social media prompted complaints from the public and a denouncement from the district and School Board.

In late 2022, two other School Board members resigned before completing their terms.

Amanda Oelschlegel stepped down in November after she evaluated her ability to balance her roles as a parent, spouse, employee and public servant. She determined the district would benefit from having a board member who can be more effective than she felt she was able to be at the time.

Weeks before Oelschlegel, board member Todd Shea also resigned. Shea, a former town manager in Arundel and the current manager of the Kennebunk Light and Power District, cited the time constraints of his personal and professional commitments as reasons for his resignation.

Also, in June, several School Board members opted not to see reelection during the annual town elections in the RSU 21 communities of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel: Art LeBlanc, Dawn Therrien, Ken Levesque and Louis Braxton, Jr.

Weston said he has seen the resumes of all the candidates who hope to succeed Davis.

“Good candidates,” he said. “We’ve got some talented people.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RSU 21 School Board seat draws five applicants after resignation