Superintendent placed on leave by SAD 63 board

HOLDEN – After a closed-door meeting that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours Friday evening, the SAD 63 board of directors decided to place Superintendent Louise Regan on administrative leave pending an investigation into her recent conduct.

The special meeting was called by the board to discuss “legal rights and duties of the SAD 63 board of directors and pending or threatened litigation,” according to the agenda.

After discussing Regan until 9:40 p.m. with the board’s legal counsel, Auburn attorney Bryan Dench, the board ended the executive session, and member Robert Kiah made the motion to “put Louise Regan on administrative leave with pay, pending the conclusion of the investigation the board of directors authorized on March 24,” according to draft minutes of the meeting.

The board is investigating Regan’s possible termination.

The school board endorsed the action 7-0, with Pamela Dorr, a newly elected board member from Eddington, abstaining.

Regan and her Bangor attorney Thad Zmistowski attended the Friday meeting but left minutes before the board ended its executive session and the motion was made.

Problems within the district began in October with a dispute involving recorded minutes of previous SAD 63 meetings, which Regan reported to police had been removed improperly from the central office.

Regan threatened in November, through letters issued by Zmistowski, to sue five of the eight board members after an Oct. 22 meeting where the named board members – Therese Anderson, Karen Clark, Linda Goodrich, Dion Seymour and Robert Kiah – allowed Seymour to read a letter of concern about Regan’s conduct concerning the tapes. In those letters, Regan said she would be asking for the statutory maximum of $400,000 in damages.

Since then, the superintendent also has filed two Maine Human Rights Commission complaints against the school district claiming she was discriminated against and harassed for being a whistle-blower.

Friday’s meeting ended with board member Karen Clark making a motion, which was unanimously passed, for Chairwoman Linda Goodrich to “make appropriate arrangement for the superintendent duties to be performed on an interim basis,” the draft minutes state.

nricker@bangordailynews.net

990-8190