SAD 77 superintendent to take post in SAD 61

EAST MACHIAS – After a little more than a year and a half as superintendent of SAD 77, Klaus-Peter Voss is leaving.

Voss said Tuesday that he will begin his new job as superintendent of SAD 61 on July 1. SAD 61 comprises Bridgton, Casco, Naples and Sebago.

Voss said he applied for the position in SAD 61 because he has found it impossible to do what he believes is necessary for the education of children in SAD 77, which comprises Cutler, East Machias, Machiasport and Whiting.

Some SAD 77 board members “have a tendency to micromanage,” he said.

“That, in itself, made it impossible to do the things that I think needed to be done to promote the education of kids in the district,” he said. “I would have stayed had the conditions been different.”

Voss praised SAD 77 administrators and some members of the board. He said he feels the district has made some real progress in the past year and a half, particularly in respect to the goal of having all children reading at their grade level by the end of the third grade.

“As sad as I am that I am leaving, I’m proud of what we accomplished,” he said.

SAD 77 board Chairman Robert Hennessey said Wednesday that the panel accepted Voss’ resignation “with regret” during the May 7 board meeting.

“I think he did a lot for education and had us going in the right direction,” Hennessey said.

School board member Laura Pierce, who served as chairwoman for nine months while Voss was superintendent, said Wednesday that his resignation was a great loss for the district.

“When he came to our district, we were in an absolute firestorm over withdrawal,” Pierce said. “He really got the public trust and he did it rather quickly.”

Pierce lives in Whiting, which along with Machiasport was making plans to withdraw from SAD 77 when Voss took over in November 2000.

The withdrawal plans stemmed from a failed plan to restructure the district’s four elementary schools in Cutler, East Machias, Machiasport and Whiting.

The widely unpopular plan was followed by the discovery – shortly before then-Superintendent Ashley LeBlanc left the district – that the 1999-2000 budget was overspent by $250,000.

Upon assuming the job, Voss made it clear that he had no interest in restructuring the school system. He also began working on the district’s financial problems, contracting with auditor Ron Smith of Hulsey and Smith in Harrington.

A little more than six months later, in July 2001, the district repaid the $250,000 it had borrowed to cover the shortfall. This year, the district expects to have carry-over funds to apply to the budget year that begins July 1.

Pierce said Voss had the financial expertise to get the district into “a good financial condition” and has worked hard with teachers to implement the state’s Learning Results standards. “I think he was very good for this district,” she said.

Hennessey said SAD 77 is advertising for applicants for Voss’ position and has hired former Eastport Superintendent Joseph McBrine as interim superintendent.

“We gave him permission to start immediately for a smooth transition,” Hennessey said.