Lynsey Johnston will remain within AOS 93 as part-time superintendent of the newly created Great Salt Bay RSU, which consists of Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle.
Johnston’s acceptance of the position was announced by school officials July 1.
“I’m excited about this,” Johnston said in a phone interview. “This is a great opportunity. I get to keep up with everything, all the teachers and students, and I get to try some new things.”
Johnston, who has served as superintendent of AOS 93 since 2022, announced her resignation in February, citing a need for a healthier work-life balance.
AOS 93 serves of seven towns – Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Jefferson, Newcastle, Nobleboro, and South Bristol – and consists of five schools – Bristol Consolidated School, Great Salt Bay Community School, Jefferson Village School, Nobleboro Central School, and South Bristol School.
As superintendent, Johnston met with each of the town’s school committees, as well as the Great Salt Bay School Committee and the AOS 93 Board.
“Everything we do, we do nine times,” Johnston said during the AOS 93 Board meeting in April 2023.
As the district began exploring restructuring as a means to increase efficiency, the towns that make up the Great Salt Bay Consolidated School District – Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle – decided to reorganize into a regional school unit.
Voters in the three towns approved the reorganization into the Great Salt Bay RSU at the polls in June. The RSU, which will remain a part of AOS 93, is expected to be recognized by the state by July 1, 2025, according to a statement from AOS 93 Board members Betsy Ball and Matthew Hanly.
As the part-time superintendent of Great Salt Bay RSU, Johnston will work three days a week. Todd Sander was recently hired by the AOS 93 Board as superintendent in charge of overseeing the schools in Bristol, Jefferson, Nobleboro, and South Bristol.
“Working with one school and three communities will allow me to get to know the students and focus on their individual needs, something that cannot be executed as efficiently when leading five schools across seven towns,” Johnston said in a statement.
The AOS 93 Board unanimously endorsed Johnston for the position of Great Salt Bay RSU superintendent.
“Her concern for academic achievement coupled with her poise, leadership, and concern for the physical and emotional safety of our students, staff, and families during this time have been extraordinary,” Sam Belknap, chair of both the Great Salt Bay School Committee and AOS 93 Board, said in a statement the accompanied the July 1 announcement.
Johnston first joined AOS 93 in 2016 as the principal of Jefferson Village School. In 2020, she became assistant superintendent, and in 2022 she replaced Craig Jurgensen to become AOS 93 superintendent.
Prior to her work in AOS 93, Johnston was a teacher in the Rockland-based RSU 13 and later became the principal of the K-5 South School in Rockland.
