ANSON — School Administrative District 74 Superintendent Ken Coville is retiring from the job in August after working 12 years in the district.
Coville, 58, submitted his letter of resignation to the SAD 74 Board of Directors on Tuesday, saying, “These 12 years have been the longest I have spent with any employer and it is with a sense of nostalgia that I submit this letter of resignation.”
Coville, who has homes in Wilton and Island Falls, said he plans to file with the Maine State Retirement System in September and his last day on the job will be no later than Aug. 25.
He is paid an annual salary of $120,000, including benefits.
In an email, Coville said Tuesday he had discussed his intentions to retire with the board earlier this month but wanted to wait until the end of the school year to make an official announcement. The district includes Anson, Embden, New Portland and Solon.
“I am retiring from the superintendency but will be going on to new challenges and opportunities in supporting the development of young people to becoming successful contributing citizens,” he said.
Coville would not say specifically what other opportunities he intends to pursue, but he said he is looking forward to spending more time with his five grandchildren, all of whom live in Maine. In his letter to the board, he also thanked them and the four schools in the district for their support over the years.
The board will be starting a search for a new superintendent “as soon as we put a committee together and start meeting,” said Robert Demchak, chairman of the SAD 74 board of directors.
Coville was hired as the principal at Carrabec High School in 2004 after previously having been a superintendent and high school principal for seven years in the Rangeley school district. He also taught at the Good-Will Hinckley School for Boys and Girls in Fairfield and is a 1981 graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington. He also received a master’s degree in administration from the University of Maine in 1989.
As superintendent for the last five years, Demchak said Coville was instrumental in overseeing a $4.5 million renovation at Carrabec High School that was completed in 2015 using interest-free loans and performance bonds.
“As the leader of that school system, he’s taken it from a mediocre school system to one with national accolades,” Demchak said. “We wish him luck in wherever he goes from here, whether it’s retirement or he decides to work part time somewhere. Best of luck to him.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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