18-year-old named SAD 41 director

LaGRANGE, Maine — As SAD 41’s newest director, Bryan Russell, 18, is in the unusual position of overseeing the salaries of the district’s staff, which includes his mother, Dawn Russell, and his very own instructors at Penquis Valley High School in Milo.

The high school senior, who tried for the director’s seat last year but was told then he wasn’t old enough, was appointed by LaGrange selectmen a few weeks ago after a vacancy occurred. He is the first high school student to be appointed to the 12-member board.While other students might envy his position, Russell said he didn’t seek the seat to specifically have a say in setting teacher salaries; rather, he wanted to become politically involved.

“I’ve been involved in town politics for a long time,” Russell said Monday as he took a brief break from his summer job helping maintain the town of Milo’s recreation field. He said his mother and his father, Jamie Russell, an SAD 64 teacher in Corinth, believe in community involvement. Like his late grandfather Richard Russell, who served on the first school board in the district that represents Milo, Brownville, LaGrange and Atkinson, the young man believes he can make a difference.

Charles Stevens, a Milo director, has no doubts that Russell will contribute greatly to the board. He said Russell is “very intelligent and well-spoken.” Stevens said Russell will give directors some fresh ideas of what it’s like at the school. “I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” he said of Russell’s appointment.

Russell’s position on the school board fits nicely into his plan to study government at Dartmouth College next year. “My goal is to become a U.S. senator some day, sort of work my way up the political ladder,” he said.

The early rungs of that political ladder have included being class vice president, a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council, and a player on the soccer, basketball and baseball teams. Those activities are wedged in with his work at the Milo Recreation Department, performing data entry for assessing functions in LaGrange, and tutoring.

“I keep myself pretty busy during the year,” said Russell, who will receive a stipend for serving on the board. “I just try to manage my time the best I can, even if it means there’s little sleep.” His main emphasis is to get the job done to the best of his ability, he added.

As for his school board position, Russell said he wants to work with directors, school staff, and the public to address the consolidation law and to determine what direction is best for the district.

“Whatever we do as a board, we need to make the right choice and not necessarily the quick choice,” he noted.

Those choices include exploring options for an Alternative Organizational Structure with SAD 31 in Howland or with SAD 68 in Dover-Foxcroft and SAD 4 in Guilford.

While Russell is not certain what SAD 41 subcommittees he will seek to serve on when he attends his first school board meeting next month, finances and policies rise to the top.

“I saw a lot of policies that I thought that maybe should be changed, so I thought what better way to change it than to actually be on the board,” he said. A policy that specifically piqued his interest early on was one that delineated the eligibility and ineligibility rules for athletics.

“I felt they were kind of harsh,” he said. Since then, the school board has improved the policies, Russell noted.

While a subcommittee has not been formed, Russell said he hoped to persuade the board to look further into alternative energy. Much could be done to harness the energy from the three rivers that flow through the town, he believes. “I think the best way for the community to see green energy is at the school,” he said.

Overall, Russell said, the year looks promising for SAD 41. “I like the direction we’re heading [in] at the high school and there’s no place I’d rather be right now than Penquis Valley High School,” he remarked. He credits his feeling to the administrators, directors, and faculty.

And the feeling appears to be mutual.

“If these kids [like Russell] are any reflection of our future, we’re in really good shape,” Milo Recreation Director Richard Martin said Monday. He said Russell is a hard worker and is very reliable.

Reflecting on the power he has to affect the compensation of faculty and administrators in the district, Russell said he recognizes that the right thing to do would be to abstain from voting on such action, although Maine law does not require him to do so.

“It’s not really a conflict of interest in terms of the law, in terms of technicalities because it doesn’t mention it, but it seems to me that it would be a fair way to do it if I excused myself,” Russell said. And Russell said he wants nothing but to be fair and upfront in his new job.

CORRECTION: Bryan Russell’s name was misspelled in earlier versions of this story.