FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue Regional School District will be seeing shifts in administration for the upcoming school year after receiving the resignation of two principals, hiring a familiar face to fill one vacancy.
Mt. Blue High School principal and campus coordinator Bruce Mochamer resigned earlier this summer. More recently, Mochamer accepted the position as principal at Skowhegan Area High School in district RSU 54. Mochamer had worked for the district before coming to MBRSD as a science teacher at the middle school.
Joining Mochamer in RSU 54 as SAHS Assistant Principal is Mt. Blue Middle School principal Jason Bellerose. Bellerose had previously worked for RSU 54 middle school as a social studies teacher for 14 years before making the move to MBMS last fall.
“I didn’t intend to leave so soon, but Skowhegan is my home community. I know the kids there, and it will be closer to home,” Bellerose said.
Bellerose went on to acknowledge the staff and kids at MBMS, saying he is proud of the work they all accomplished in just one year.
Replacing Mochamer at MBHS is former principal Monique Poulin. Poulin served as principal at MBHS before resigning in 2014 at which point she took the job as principal at SAHS.
Despite the administrative shuffle, RSU 9 Superintendent Tom Ward said he is looking forward to a smooth school year.
“We are very pleased that Monique will be coming back as MBHS Principal and Campus Coordinator, and we are proud and appreciative of all the work both Bruce and Jason did with their time here,” he said.
These are two significant losses for our district. It is VERY hard to be a school administrator and I deeply appreciate everything that both men brought to their schools. I wish them both the best and will miss their intelligence, good humor and dedication to students. Thank you gentlemen. May the climate in Skowhegan be more supportive of administrators than our community has been.
Big loss for Mt Blue big gain for Skowvegas. Mr Mochamer was the best. This seems strange-old principal comes back? Best to all.
Thank you, Principle Bellerose.
The kids in the Middle School had such great things to say about you as their Principle.
Hope we can find someone that can carry the torch.
TWO administrators gone, and for what reason. TEACHERS GONE ALSO. WHO will be next? These were good men and it is a great loss.
This community is not supportive of administrators? Why, because we didn’t believe it when the district told us good people were leaving RSU 9 because we weren’t paying them enough and therefore they should all get huge salary increases (which they all did?) Or, because we don’t feel the school should be given unlimited spending while we have to do without other community needs….the effect huge school bills have on the small towns. Or, because we don’t feel that school employees should be entitled to a 2% raise every year, year after year, when few citizens in the towns are getting increases in their income. (We all pay the same price for a loaf of bread.) This school district doesn’t even try to work with this community. Any alleviation in property taxes has come from the State…nothing the school district or board did. When State funding is cut back…..the property taxpayers will be the ones to pick up the slack.
Lindy,
First off, I am not an employee of RSU #9. The district is doing well with what it can for our students. They deserve our support. A 2% yearly raise is not a lot. “Average annual inflation rate is 3.22%.” So that small raise is even lower than the average yearly cost of living increase. The state AND the district have both help our taxes. The cost of educations rises each year for MANY reasons not just staff/faculty raises. If they are able to keep costs the same or with only slight increases per year as they have… then they are doing things right. Our district even though large geographically, is one of the cheaper districts per student. Lets support our schools not deem them as wasteful just because you don’t agree with a few numbers.
Lindy, making it very clear that this community doesn’t support administrators.
Congratulations Monique, Bruce and Jason. You are hard workers dedicated to your jobs and I wish you the best in your new roles.
Lindy, showing us in her own words exactly why some very good people are leaving our school district and why the district is also having difficulty attracting new people. Nasty. Divisive. Un-neighborly. Enough is enough.
My first child had Ms. Poulin for four years (and the construction) at MBHS. My second child had one year with Ms. Poulin and three with Mr. Mochamer. My last one had Mr. Mochamer for four years of high school. All three young adults have great respect, love, and fond memories of both these exceptional principals.
Thank you both for your leadership and enhancing my children’s education. Congratulations and continued success.
I wholeheartedly agree @Tami Labul – Mr. Mochamer and Mr. Bellerose are outstanding leaders and will be sadly missed by both the adults and the students of RSU 9. Both men are consummate professionals; leading by example, using thoughtful consideration when making decisions, and displaying a can-do attitude that is infectious. Thank you for your service to Mt. Blue Regional School District.
Best of luck to you both as you head back to Skowhegan!
Many in the community do not agree with the high salary ranges for administration that have been put in place in the last couple of years. I don’t know of anyone who does not hold Mr. Mochamer in high esteem and Mr. Bellerose was well regarded for the time he was here. But RSU 9 is top heavy with administration. That’s what is opposed. (Of note….the State used to pay 50% of administration costs. That was lowered to 30% in the new State budget. So now locally we will be paying even more towards those high salaries.) Speaking out against high salaries and the high budget does not mean we do not support the school district, children, and education. Come on people….you have to control spending no matter who you are. There is only so much money to go around. But, the community has no representation in the school budgeting process. Board members are told that they do not represent the towns that elected them, they represent the children. Past superintendents talked with the town selectman and took some measures to keep the budget down. That has not been the case since the present administration took over. There are a couple of board members who are concerned about school spending, but they are outnumbered. And so, the priority of everyone involved in the budget process is the school and with that an incredible sense of entitlement has developed. Consequently, a million dollar plus budget increase every year is acceptable to them. (Even though this is Franklin County NOT southern Maine.) So, some in the community have been protesting. And look what has happened. School board directors and others from RSU 9 are speaking out against the community! Thankfully, we still have the referendum, the community’s one chance to keep the budget at a reasonable level that this area can handle.
From one parent of a Skowhegan High School student, I am THRILLED!!
RSU9 is high in administrators(about 2 over according to the recommended states ESP ) and high in salaries VERY UNFORTUNATE TO LOSE THE 2 WE DID.With the budget increase so high, many voters are returning on August 3rd to vote “NO”again. Next year the budget process starts at almost $34 million if it isn’t cut back after the upcoming referendum..
Buckshot- If the referendum vote is representative of the vote at the Annual Budget meeting, there will be about 8x more people voting in support of the budget.
So great. More changes at the middle school. Just once I would like to read a “no” supporter who put our kids first.
I am a ” voting no ” person who has paid taxes every year to support ” the kids “. Millions upon millions year after year is hardly not putting kids first. If your kids aren’t getting an education it’s not from a lack of money.
Billyjoebob- There was a zero percent increase, and voter approved debt was paid down on. So, are you declaring yourself no just to be negative about public education?
It seems like a lot of fear mongering rhetoric.
Jesse Sillanpaa, the administrators that are leaving will definitely be making more money in the RSU 54 district as they pay their administration and teachers a much higher amount than RSU 9. And if you want to see that RSU 9 is actually a low budget for size and demands from and for it’s students, just go to the Maine.gov website and compare actual numbers.
Reality, no I am not voting no just to be negative on public education.
” fear mongering rhetoric “, good grief.
You have the advantage, the Bulldog will print whatever little you say.
@Reality If there were a “zero percent increase” the budget would not be going up by $1million. Even the Common Core fans can do the math for that one… And as stated time and again this sets the baseline for next year.
I am sad to see Jason Bellerose leave. I think he did great things at the middle school. If you read why he is leaving it has nothing to do with his salary, nor do I think he would have stayed had his salary been increased. So for those using that argument it holds no water.
Well jeepmaine64 thanks for dragging me in this conversation. I haven’t commented on this article please keep the topic at hand. If you want to talk about the budget go to that article. Don’t change the topic, this article is about changing of faculty not the budget. I had Mr. Mochamer in Jr. high and he was a good teacher I dont know the others.
My apologies, I have no idea where ” little ” came from. I must have missed it when editing and it was not intended to be in that sentence.
The budget meeting is for various reasons NOT the favored location for people who oppose the yearly, extravagant increase in the RSU9 cost of operation figure as presented. The place chosen to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is at one’s own place of voting, which is in one’s own town. MORE familiar, more friendly, less intimidating, and QUICKER! This is why there will be 3000, more or less, voters making a decision on AUGUST 3rd, most of whom were NOT at the JULY 25TH budget meeting. Obviously, if only 110 more had attended on the 25th, the budget figures would be much lower. I would further state, as others have before me, the disagreement is not about kids, their education, or even about the teachers. It is about what a community can afford, what money can be managed in better ways, some programs that aren’t working, and a managing group that is determined to have its’ own way. I think that legislation is the only way this mess will ever be resolved.
I pay taxes to Farmington. I have not been able to keep up on all of the rhetoric, but I would like to say that the increase seems a little bizarre. I would like to know an exact number of children and the number of schools that are receiving these funds; then I may be able to understand why. The mud slinging gets nowhere.
I would like 2% increase in my income. Please don’t say it’s about the quality of education Abe Lincoln went to a one room school. The school board reminds me of Washington DC, have to go with the party. Why not think of the people you represent?