District news
Retired teacher rehired to keep industrial arts going
What happened
The industrial arts teacher retired, and Maine no longer certifies new industrial arts teachers. On October 19 the board rehired the retired teacher, Tim O'Connor, for the rest of this year. The district is also trying to get a Region 9 career teacher for Telstar.
Why it matters to families
Without this, students would lose their shop and trades class. The long-term plan is not settled.
The evidence
The board approved the probationary contract unanimously. During the discussion it was noted that the state has not offered industrial arts certification for about 10 years. Evidence comes from auto-generated captions of the Western Hills Access Television recording, not approved minutes.
The source
October 19, 2026 board meeting recordingSee the full record for MSAD 44 (RSU 44).
Get alerts like this for MSAD 44 (RSU 44)
We read every agenda, packet, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from, the moment it's public.
Get personalized alerts