From the Superintendent

Dear Students, Staff, Parents, and Community Members,

In July, 2025 I enter my fifth year as your Superintendent for Mt. Blue Regional School District (RSU 9). I’ve appreciated getting to know students, parents, staff and community members from our schools and the towns of Chesterville, Farmington, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Starks, Temple, Vienna, Weld and Wilton and look forward to continuing to work with all of you this upcoming school year. Working together during the past four years, our staff, students, parents and community members have all helped RSU 9 make important progress. You have not only helped to determine our district’s future direction through respectful input, discussion and debate, but have also helped us implement key parts, goals and action steps from our district’s strategic plan. This plan provides guidance and direction for developing long-term solutions related to curriculum and instruction, building maintenance and use, and technology. Areas RSU 9 has not been able to give adequate focus to for some time. 

When I started in July of 2021, we had over 90 staff openings. The lack of staff was jeopardizing our ability to provide quality education to all our students.  During the 2024-2025 school year we continued to make good progress in hiring qualified staff. Heading into the 2025-2026 school year we are in excellent shape with 98% of positions filled. This allows us to operate much more effectively in providing support to our students, schools, staff, parents and communities in ways too numerous to mention.

By continuing to increase communication and transparency, we will build stronger bonds in support of our most important and precious resource, our children! These efforts make me very hopeful about the future progress of our schools and for our students.   

As I’ve said in the past, I believe Public Schools are the backbone of our nation, state, community, democracy and economy and they work best through the combined efforts of many working together, pulling in the same direction. I look forward to continuing our work together, building on the progress we’ve made as we strive to make RSU 9 the best Learning Organization and school system that we can be!

Very truly yours,

Christian M. Elkington
Superintendent
RSU 9 – Mt. Blue Regional School District