Central Office Staff Take On New Roles
To a large extent, the job of the Central Office staff is to provide support for the entire district so that our teachers, support staff, and administrators all have what they need to do their jobs for our students. Throughout the last year, this has been more important than ever. New supplies, subscriptions, technology, PPE, and everything else that we needed had to be ordered, stored, delivered, inventoried….. Etc.
Our Central Office dealt with all of these behind-the-scenes aspects and more, while simultaneously taking on new training and reorganizing the work structure within the central office for greater efficiency. We wanted to take a few moments to recognize this amazing team as a whole and introduce you to some of these hard-working women in their new roles.
Cindy McCarthy recently became the Accounting Coordinator for RSU 18. The Accounting Coordinator position plays an integral role in RSU 18’s business office providing a wide variety of administrative and district support in matters pertaining to finance, business, and accounting. Cindy previously held the position of Accounts Payable and has been with the district for 8 years and working with local schools for over 25 years. Cindy’s positive attitude, hard work, and willingness to help anyone have had a positive impact on our schools. When Cindy isn’t working hard at the Central Office she is granting wishes for Make A Wish, traveling the world, and spending time with her family.
Jennifer King joined RSU 18 in October as our Purchasing & Payables Specialist. Jenn has many years of experience in finance with outside organizations and we were excited for her to bring her skills and knowledge to our district. She has proven to be a huge asset to our Finance Team and Central Office. She has been a fast learner, a great communicator, and is always willing to help others. During Jenn’s downtime, she enjoys spending time with her family, attending her children’s activities, and remodeling her backyard oasis.
Megan Bacon is a familiar face within RSU 18. She joined Messalonskee High School in 2009 and transitioned to Central Office a few years later in 2013. She has now transitioned to the role of Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Megan is the life of the party at Central Office, always offering to help with her quick wit and outgoing personality. Megan is a leader in any task she is asked to complete and the go-to person when we need historical information on the district. Traveling to tropical places is one of Megan’s favorite things to do, she also loves spending time with her family especially her nieces and nephews, and shopping with her Nan.
Laura White has been with RSU 18 since it was formed over a decade ago as the district’s payroll specialist. Prior to that, she worked in School Union 52 as part of the district with China Schools. Her attention to detail and knowledge of business software has gained her respect in our district and around the state. Laura is now transitioning to be the district’s human resource and payroll specialist. In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her partner Mike, her children, her mother, and of course her granddaughter Ava.
Kristi Farrell joined RSU 18 in October of 2017 as the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent. Over the last several months she has transitioned into the payroll specialist position. Kristi is extremely detail-oriented and hard working. In her downtime, Kristi enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Kourtney and Kelsey, and her fur babies.
Sharon Jolicoeur is our most senior person at the Central Office. While her role hasn’t changed much, it has changed to the Administrative Assistant to the Maintenance and Facilities Department. Sharon’s can-do attitude, flexibility, and friendly personality make her the perfect person for welcoming all to RSU 18 whether they are entering the Central Office or calling on the telephone. You will often find Sharon giving treats to her animal friends, spending time with her family, and gearing up for her first grandchild.
Many districts struggled to meet staff needs last year, but the RSU 18 Central Office staff dedicated themselves to making sure everyone had what they needed when they needed it. And they delivered while doing extensive training and migrating to a new financial software system. In a normal year, this software change alone would have kept everyone busy. The work the Central Office staff did may have been behind the scenes, but it was a big reason we were so successful as a district this last year.