A new superintendent will take the helm of RSU 39 and oversee operations budgeted at more than $18 million for the next school year, and though it might seem a formidable task, this Caribou High School graduate is poised to answer the call.
Susan White, currently the principal of Limestone Community School, was approved by the RSU 39 board of directors during Wednesday night’s meeting. With 22 years of service to the local district under her belt, she will make the transition from school administrator to the superintendent’s chair on August 1.
She will take the reins from Frank McElwain, who has served as superintendent for the past 12 years, and though the prospect might be a bit daunting it’s also an exciting opportunity. “It’s huge,” she said. “Obviously, to be chosen is an honor, and to be asked to lead the school district in the community that I grew up in — and I’m a product of our school system — it’s giving back to the community that has given me so much. We have great teachers, great kids and great families, and Caribou is a wonderful place to be.”
White is quick to add that her time at LCS has been very rewarding. “Having been able to work in Limestone has been a real privilege. The community has been a real support for the school and having the opportunity to work there has been wonderful.”
She admitted she will miss the day-to-day interaction with students. “I love the buzz of a school, the noise, the goings-on,” she said. “That will be one of the hardest things to leave.”
White will finish out the school year at LCS, and then during July will begin a transition period in the superintendent’s office. “I’ll work alongside Mr. McElwain, and then, on Aug. 1, I’ll be ‘flying solo,’” she said.
“It certainly is an exciting time in education, for a lot of good reasons and a lot where we have some challenges to overcome,” she commented. “There are always the budgetary issues, and also we have a declining enrollment, and we need to work within those parameters.”
Among the changes coming down the road are new teacher and system evaluation systems, along with the transition to proficiency-based education, a topic that has garnered much discussion in recent months. Proficiency-based learning essentially involves educators gearing themselves and their teaching methods toward more individualized education.
“We are going to meet kids where they’re at and move at their pace,” White explained. “Kids learn in different ways and at different times, and we need to react to that and address these things. We will tailor our delivery and instruction to their needs.
“This transition to proficiency-based education is really what’s best for kids. To be a part of that at the district level is, to me, very exciting. It’s a huge task, and we’re learning and we’re growing along with it.”
White’s love for education seems a natural fit, considering her family history. Her father, Bob White, now retired, taught for 26 years at the very school where she now serves as principal. She noted Caribou’s Little League field is named after him. “And my mother, also retired, was the vice president at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, my brother is the athletic administrator in Presque Isle for SAD 1, and my aunt is currently the assistant superintendent for curriculum in Houlton. So I come from a long line of educators,” she said.
A 1987 graduate of CHS, White graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in elementary education in 1992, and received her master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Maine at Orono in 2003. This December she will complete her certificate of advanced study in educational leadership, also from UMO.
Her entire career as an educator has been spent in in the local school system. She began teaching fourth-grade at Hilltop, and for 10 years taught grades 4, 5, and Title I math. From her grade 5 post at Caribou Middle School, she became the school’s assistant principal for three years, and then for seven years was principal.
“Last summer, I was ready for a change and spoke with Mr. McElwain about it,” she said. “It worked out that Leland Caron, who was the principal at Limestone, and I were both ready to try something new, and Mr. McElwain and the school board obliged.” The two administrators “flip-flopped,” Caron going to CMS and she to LCS.
During her 10-year teaching career, White also coached varsity softball at CHS. “I was fortunate to be able to touch every school in the RSU,” she noted.
For her, one of the most rewarding aspects of education is seeing students embrace learning. “Watching them grow and improve — when that light bulb goes on and they get it and they get excited about learning — that’s fun.
“It’s all about kids for me,” she added. “At the end of the day, it’s what’s best for them and providing them with the best education that we can.”
