TOPSHAM, Maine — MSAD 75's superintendent resigned this month, citing divisions in school board members, according to a letter sent to the school board.
In his letter on February 9, Superintendent Steven Connolly told the board his decision comes after "self reflection."
"While the long hours each week, the volume of evening meetings and events, and hard decisions were known parts of the role, I find I have not been effective at managing the implicit divisions that exist based on political, personal, and ideological beliefs which, in my view, are stagnating the opportunity for systemic educational progress," Connolly said.
Connolly did not respond when NEWS CENTER Maine requested comment from his office Wednesday. His resignation is set to go into effect on June 30, 2023, exactly one year since he accepted his position at the district.
His resignation comes after two tumultuous years of superintendent resignations throughout the state, according to the executive director of the Maine School Management Association, Steve Bailey.
"There are a lot of reasons, but at the end of the day it's a difficult position," Bailey said.
Bailey said this school year alone there were 16 vacant and recently filled superintendent positions. He cited the recent increase in pressure conservative national groups are putting on school boards to ban books about gender-inclusive sexual health.
"The conversation doesn't necessarily seem to be around what's in the best interest of the students but the political differences between people... It really dismays me in thinking that these board members and superintendents are devoting their lives to this kind of issue," Bailey said.
There was a long series of efforts led by failed school board candidates to remove gender-inclusive books at MSAD 6, which covers the Standish and Buxton areas. Parents and teachers in the community reported harassment by online social media groups aiming to take the books off school shelves.
In the summer, at RSU 9, efforts failed to ban a poster that described gender identity terms.
These instances, among many others throughout Maine school districts, add more pressure to an already difficult job, Bailey said.