Educator Finally Gets His Wish

By DENNIS HOEY Staff Writer

For more than 20 years, Paul Perzanoski has been trying to get back to Maine.

The man who is in line to become Brunswick’s next superintendent of schools is about to get his wish.

"To me, it’s a dream come true," said Perzanoski, who is expected to be confirmed Monday night.

Brunswick lost its superintendent in October when James L. Ashe retired. Ashe later became Topsham’s town manager.

David Wallace agreed to be interim superintendent until a replacement could be found.

A nine-member selection committee of School Board members, administrators, a bus driver and a teacher narrowed the field of candidates to 10 and eventually to two finalists. Committee members visited each finalist’s school district before making their recommendation to hire Perzanoski.

Wallace said in a prepared statement that the board is expected to hire Perzanoski at a special meeting that will begin at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Meeting Facility on McKeen Street. His salary will be finalized at that time.

The selection committee met with more than 50 school employees in Perzanoski’s district – Windham Public Schools in Willimantic, Conn.

"They did not have one bad thing to say about him," said Corinne Perreault, a Brunswick School Board member. "And some of the people we met were so upset they were crying. They did not want to lose him, but they were happy because they knew he wanted to live in Maine."

David Merrill, a physics teacher at Brunswick High School who was on the selection committee, said, "His employees had wonderful things to say about him. I think he is extremely intelligent and personable."

Perzanoski, who is 55, said he has been visiting Maine since he was 12 years old. His grandmother lived in Biddeford and his grandfather lived in Fort Kent. Both were teachers.

He spent hours walking along Ferry Beach in Saco as a child. Those walks often took him to nearby Old Orchard Beach.

In 1985, he took a teaching position in the Portland school system, but two months later he resigned because he could not afford to rent an apartment in the city. At the time, he had two young children.

Perzanoski took work out-of-state, and has been trying to get back to Maine ever since.

Last year, he and his wife, Nancy, bought a home on Peaks Island. They are restoring the 1910 Victorian, which they plan to convert into their year-round home.

Perzanoski said that riding the Peaks Island ferry and driving north to Brunswick will become part of his daily routine after July 1, the day he is expected to begin his new job.

Brunswick officials say he will face challenges overseeing construction of a new elementary school and overcoming the anticipated loss of students who will leave after the Brunswick Naval Air Station closes in 2011.

"The community may change, but we just don’t know yet," Perzanoski said, referring to the more than 2,000 homes and apartments in the region that will become vacant.

Perzanoski has been superintendent of Windham Public Schools for five years, overseeing a district with 3,900 students, 750 employees and a $45 million budget.

Perzanoski said it’s the second-poorest district in Connecticut, in terms of its ability to pay for educational programs.

Brunswick educates 3,200 students with an annual education budget of about $33 million.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be reached at 386-0320 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

(c) 2008 Portland Press Herald. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.