School board member faces censure

RSU 21 school board member Kirstin Shapiro could face censure as well as recall following allegations of misconduct.

At the Oct. 21 school board meeting, board member Kierstan Watson made a motion to censure Shapiro for behavior she said did not meet the standards expected of board members.

Watson said the proposal is based specifically on documented behavior during meetings and interactions that has repeatedly disrupted board operations and undermined public confidence in board governance.

“The continued escalation of these violations has prevented the board from performing its responsibilities in a timely, reasonable and conscientious manner,” Watson said.

An executive session on the issue must be held before it can be brought to a vote, Shapiro said.

Board member Rachel Kennedy-Smith, who supported Watson’s motion, said executive session on the issue was scheduled twice and Shapiro was unable to attend both times.

“We tried it twice,” Kennedy-Smith said. “I would like everyone to know that we are trying to do this.”

Ultimately, the board did not vote on the proposal, and Chairman Leslie Stoffler, along with Superintendent Dr. Terry Cooper, confirmed to the district attorney that an executive session would need to be held before a vote could be taken.

“Kirstin should be able to discuss this in executive session with her attorney present,” Cooper said.

Shapiro also faces recall.

Arundel’s Select Board has officially set the recall election for Dec. 17 after receiving enough signatures from the community.

Arundel resident Dorothy Gregoire began the recall effort with a letter of intent in which she stated that she plans to circulate a recall petition against Shapiro because she feels that Shapiro’s behavior on several occasions has resulted in a loss of confidence in her judgment and her ability to perform her duties . duties on the school council.

Gregoire also claims in her letter that Shapiro violated policies outlined in the board’s code of ethics, including a specific policy calling on board members to handle complaints in a certain manner.

Gregoire cited examples of times Shapiro violated the policy, including a recent outburst during public comment on Sept. 19, as well as other incidents.

“Principal Shapiro’s history of angry outbursts resulted in a loss of confidence in her ability to perform the duties of a school board director,” Gregoire said.

Shapiro was given until October 31 to resign. As of October 29, she has not done so.

Attempts to contact Shapiro were unsuccessful.

Contracts with teachers

Also at the Oct. 21 board meeting, Steffler updated the public on teacher contract negotiations.

Steffler said the negotiating team is feeling “more positive” than ever before.

“We feel like both sides are coming together and we, as we know the Kennebunk-Arundel-Kennebunkport Education Association, are very interested in getting our teachers to contract,” Steffler said.

She also said board member Matthew Stratford had been named lead negotiator, replacing Shapiro.

Stratford said it was approaching the negotiations with increased urgency.

“That’s my top priority,” Stratford said.

The district’s teachers have been working without a contract since late August, when their previous contract expired.

Contract negotiations have been ongoing since December 2023, with the board serving as mediator with the education association since June.

“We’re hoping to get a contract that teachers will really like and be comfortable with,” Steffler said.

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