OXFORD – This year, Oxford Superintendent Randy Squier will pull double duty as both the district’s top administrator and Primary School principal. During the budget process, when he first proposed reverting back to the administrative structure which was last used in Oxford in the late 80s, Squier said he would relocate the district offices to the primary building. But last night, citing concerns over logistics and space requirements, Squier informed Oxford’s board of education of his intention to leave the district’s administrative offices in their current location at the Middle School.
The announcement elicited opposition from more than one school board member, including Joe Spence, who joined the board on July 1.
“Who’s going to handle discipline?” asked Spence, who said as principal, Squier should have a physical presence in the primary building throughout the day. It was important, he explained, for him to be there to greet students when they got off the bus, handle any disciplinary referrals and, in general, to be accessible to kids, teachers and parents.
Board member Peter Heggie echoed Spence’s concerns.
“I think we should honor what we said to the public,” he said, reminding Squier of his previous statements on the matter.
Heggie also pointed out there is precedent in Oxford for the district’s top administrator to absorb the duties of Primary School principal as well. The last superintendent to do so was the late David Burroughs, who retired in 1988.
Squier said it would be “messy” to try to move the entire administrative offices at this point, since they would require two to three classrooms at the Primary School. And a partial move would be less than ideal.
“It would be more efficient if we moved as a whole,” reported District Clerk Michele Rice, who serves as the superintendent’s assistant. According to Rice, the main concern would be access to the district’s record room, which is shared by her and the business office. Squier said to move everything would take up at least three classrooms in the Primary School.
“I told teachers I’d be here,” he said, explaining that he intends to spend most of the school day at the building, then return to his Middle School office after students are released to tackle district business.
Squier did not rule out a future move to the Primary School.
“If we’re stretched too thin administratively, we’ll be the first ones to tell you,” the superintendent said.
In addition, reconfiguring the offices at the Primary/High School campus is one of the considerations for the district’s upcoming Phase II capital project, he said.
The superintendent alluded to future changes as well, saying, “This may not be the final stop in our administrative structure.”