As Brewer’s new superintendent of schools, departing Wiscasset Middle High School Principal Cheri Towle will get a bump up in pay and fulfill a longtime career goal.

In turn, she is leaving a job and a school community she has enjoyed, Towle said in an interview in her Wiscasset Middle High office Sept. 15.

Towle, 44, of Newcastle will work her last day in Wiscasset on Oct. 23. She was named Brewer’s superintendent on Monday night.

In Tuesday’s interview, Towle said she wished the opportunity had come toward the end of a school year. “I realize the timing is not ideal.”

But she is confident the school department will find great new leadership for the school.

Towle, who has been working on a doctorate in education, said she’s very excited to become a superintendent.

In year one of her three-year contract with Brewer, Towle will go from making $86,000 a year as principal at Wiscasset Middle High, to $108,500.

She applied for a few superintendent jobs this year, including Wiscasset’s, when the school department was hiring earlier this year.

As superintendent openings have come up, Towle has researched them and then only applied if the school department’s vision fits with hers, to work toward proficiency-based diplomas and multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning, she said.

She has frequently spoken on those themes since becoming principal in 2014. Applying them in the classroom is the focus of her dissertation for the doctorate, she said.

In a letter to Wiscasset Middle High parents Tuesday, Towle thanks the Wiscasset community for allowing her to serve as principal for a little over a year. “I have had an opportunity to work with the staff and students to begin the transition to a proficiency based model and to see the seventh and eighth graders move into the building with a lot of excitement and eagerness to learn. 

“It is with a heavy heart and much deliberation, that I have chosen to move on to a new position as superintendent of schools in Brewer. I will miss the students and the tremendous school pride and spirit that (Wiscasset students) have for their school! The kindness of our students and the amazing spirit of which they walk our halls (every day) is something I will take with me from Wiscasset. We truly have amazing kids!”

In the letter, Towle invites parents to contact her with any questions or concerns at 207-882-7722 or by email at ctowle@wiscassetschools.org.

Ahead of Brewer’s approval of Towle for its new superintendent, an anticipated opening for Towle’s Wiscasset job was posted at www.servingschools.com, Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot states in a Tuesday email to the Wiscasset Newspaper.

“We will pursue an active search for new leadership,” Wilmot writes.

The Sept. 9 online job posting states that applications will be taken until Sept. 23 or until a suitable candidate is found.

“The Wiscasset School Department is seeking a leader of learning for Wiscasset Middle High School ... who is progressive, innovative and understands high quality instruction,” the posting states. “The ideal candidate will have the proven leadership skills in order to manage the instructional programs, interact with students, teachers, parents and members of the community in a way that promotes the success of all students. Previous experience with proficiency-based education and a background in designing multiple pathways to learning (are) preferred.”

The posting calls for teaching and leadership experience at the middle or high school levels.

In Tuesday’s email, Wilmot calls the Brewer job an exciting opportunity for Towle. “I wish her well in her new position.”

For at least her first year as superintendent, Towle will avoid a daily, three-and-a-half-hour round trip to Brewer by renting an apartment. Her plan to stay there during the work week and come home weekends will also help her meet her entry plan for the job: She wants to get to know the community and, to do that, it’s important to be there, she said.

“I really want to make sure I’m giving 100 percent.”

With son Noah Towle a Lincoln Academy freshman, her being away during the week is not ideal, Cheri Towle said. So the family has talked about her possibly coming home one night during the week in addition to the weekends, she said.

On the upside of getting an apartment in the city, Towle will be nearer her two older children at the University of Maine at Orono. Hannah Towle is a junior; Nathan Towle, a freshman.

Cheri Towle said she has no trepidation about the added responsibility she will have as superintendent, heading up a two-school department with a $20 million school budget and a student population of 1,670.

“You get to a certain point in your career when you’re ready, and that’s why I started applying. I’m eager to do that,” she said. “I’m ready to do that.”