SAD 27 teacher wins appeal for contract

FORT KENT – A veteran schoolteacher won the right to remain in the classroom last week when the SAD 27 board voted unanimously to renew her contract.

Kathryn Rioux has been a teacher in SAD 27 for 36 years. She regained her contract and is a full-time district substitute teacher, according to Superintendent Sandra Bernstein Wednesday.

The vote was taken at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, at the end of a marathon executive session that had started at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. It was the third session of a hearing that started more than one month ago.

The hearing lasted 23 hours over three sessions. Last Tuesday night’s session alone lasted 10 hours.

School directors had voted 9-0 to renew Rioux’s contract.

Rioux was not offered a contract for the present year by Bernstein. Bernstein’s action was backed by the school board three months ago.

Rioux appealed.

William Smith, a Van Buren attorney representing Rioux, said they hope bygones can be bygones, and Rioux can return to the classroom.

“She [Bernstein] has the discretion of where Kathy will teach,” he said. “We hope both sides can move on from here.

“We believed Kathy had never been given a chance in St. Francis,” Smith said. “She did not want to leave her career on that note.”

Smith said the SAD 27 board of directors gave both sides ample time to make their cases and arguments, and he believes the board listened to both sides of the question.

Rioux taught most of her years at St. Francis Elementary School. She also did some teaching at the Eagle Lake Elementary School.

Before last Wednesday’s vote, Rioux, was a permanent substitute teacher in the district, according to Bernstein. She had taught daily at the Fort Kent Elementary School since the school year began.

Rioux has taught many grade levels in her career, mostly at the St. Francis school. Her most recent position was that of teaching prekindergarten, kindergarten and an extended kindergarten program.

Last year, she taught prekindergarten and kindergarten at the Eagle Lake school.

At both sessions of the hearings, Rioux has had many supporters. None was allowed into the executive sessions.