The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District school committee voted April 30 on Superintendent Keith Laser’s recommendation for the end of the Boothbay Elementary and High schools’ calendar year and to hire BRES Assistant Principal Tricia Campbell as BRHS principal.

Campbell was hired starting July 1 after spending months as BRHS’s interim principal. The board voted unanimously in favor and shared its congratulations. Said committee chair Larry Colcord, “Thank you very much Trish for everything you do. I think it will be a smooth transition.”

BRES and BRHS students will end their school year June 5 and teachers will finish June 10.

The decision also means school lunch programs will end June 5 as kitchen staff contracts end the last day of the academic calendar. Laser said, since the original end date for students was June 10, students will be missing June 8, 9 and 10 between the school lunch program and the summer program which is run by Healthy Lincoln County through federal funding.

“What does change is that we don’t deliver those anymore and right now we deliver over 100 meals,” said Laser.

Executive Assistant Evelyn Andrews clarified that even though lunches will not be delivered, Healthy Lincoln County will provide them at several sites around the peninsula as in seasons past. Laser said the CSD is working with Maine Department of Education as state-provided funds for school lunch programs are still unclear due to the shortened year.

Committee members thanked Food Service Director Darlene French and fifth and sixth grade teacher Hildy Johnson, who will both be retiring.

The committee meets next at 6 p.m. May 13. The CSD Board of Trustees will meet next at 5:15 p.m. May 6; and Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 at 6 p.m. May 7. All meetings will be through Zoom Conference.