FRENCHVILLE – A 33-year veteran teacher in SAD 33 has been named director of the St. John Valley Technology Center.

Conrad Cyr, who taught English, sociology and psychology at Wisdom High School, was named to replace David Keaton this week. Keaton resigned his position last month.

SAD 33 Superintendent Fern Desjardins said Cyr already has started his duties at the center.

Juniors and seniors from SAD 27, SAD 33 and the Madawaska School Department attend classes at the center, which is located in Frenchville.

SAD 33 directors selected Aug. 14 for the first meeting of a nine-person ad hoc committee formed to look at the future of the school district and cost-sharing ratio of the two towns in it. The first meeting will be held at the technology center at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The committee is an offshoot of a previous committee that looked at cost sharing in the district without finding a solution to St. Agatha claims that the town is paying too large a share of SAD 33 expenditures.

The new committee will look at that question again, and other issues facing the district, such as an annual loss of student population, and what needs to be done about the situation.

The committee also will look at possibly drafting a survey for residents of the district about the loss of students, curriculum and cost sharing.

The new committee will have two school board members, two selectmen and two residents, one from each town, two educators, one each from Wisdom High School and the Dr. Levesque Elementary School, and the superintendent of schools.

Declining enrollment is becoming a problem in SAD 33. Today the district has 347 students. The district’s former superintendent, Jerry White, had said the district could lose as many as 70 pupils over the next five to seven years.

The committee could even look at the cost of tuitioning secondary students, compared to present cost to educate them in the district, White said before retiring two months ago.

Desjardins said the committee will elect its officers, decide on its mission, and begin its work next Tuesday.