The RSU 4 Board of Directors on Sept. 8 approved a recommended hire, three overnight field trips proposed by the Oak Hill High School Outing Club and the district's tax assessment warrant and installment schedules.

The board approved the superintendent's recommendation to hire Eric Calhoun as a social studies teacher at Oak Hill Middle School. The motion carried with board approval; no roll-call tally was read into the record and no individual dissent was recorded.

Board members then reviewed and voted on three overnight outings submitted by the Oak Hill High School Outing Club and related classes. Tim Ferrer, who identified himself as Oak Hill High School principal, described the trips and answered questions about supervision, transport and costs.

- Warren Island (Penobscot Bay, via the Lincolnville ferry): Ferrer said the outing is an overnight trip with three students signed up so far, two adults attending, use of a school van for transport and ferry passage paid by the Maine Island Trails Association. He said the group will carry a Garmin inReach for communications and that there is cell service on the island. The board approved the trip; the vote was recorded as unanimous. "We'll have a Garmin inReach with us at all times," Ferrer said. "We'll have, 2 adults, and, we are going with a group from Morse. They'll have an adult and another adult, and there'll be separate tents for the separate groups."

- Rangeley area (Piazza Rock stewardship work with Appalachian Mountain Club): Ferrer said the trip pairs students with AMC stewardship programming and an AmeriCorps volunteer to teach Leave No Trace practices. He said the plan is to take one van (capacity 11) and charge students roughly $25 to cover food. The board approved the trip unanimously.

- Acadia National Park (October): Ferrer said the Outing Club expects to take five students and two adults and that local lodging was arranged at a nearby lodge in Orland. Estimated per-student cost was about $75 for three days, depending on meal decisions. The board approved the trip unanimously.

On the financial side, the board moved and approved the warrant for assessment of tax and the assessment schedule and notice of installments for the 2025-2026 fiscal year (July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026). The motion instructs the treasurer to deliver each member municipality its warrant and assessment schedule; the board voted to approve and the tally was recorded as unanimous.

Discussion items preceding the votes included questions from board members about equity across clubs, adult-to-student ratios, emergency plans and whether fees would inhibit participation. Ferrer said student charges are modest for the Warren Island and Rangeley trips ($25 food charge) and that district funds cover the van and gas; Ferry fees for Warren Island were being covered by the Maine Island Trails Association. On the Acadia trip, Ferrer said per-student costs are still being finalized and estimated about $75.

Votes at a glance:
- Approve minutes of the Aug. 20, 2025 organizational meeting: approved (motion, second; abstentions noted for members absent).
- Approve hire of Eric Calhoun, social studies teacher, Oak Hill Middle School: approved (motion, second; unanimous as recorded).
- Approve overnight field trip to Warren Island, Maine (Oak Hill Outing Club): approved (motion, unanimous).
- Approve overnight field trip to Rangeley, Maine (Outing Club & outdoor PE): approved (motion, unanimous).
- Approve overnight field trip to Acadia National Park (Outing Club): approved (motion, unanimous).
- Approve warrant for assessment of tax and assessment schedule and notice of installments for fiscal year 07/01/2025–06/30/2026: approved (motion, unanimous).

The board did not record any opposition on the trip motions; questions about recruitment and fee assistance were addressed during discussion. Board members suggested seeking local business sponsorships to reduce cost barriers for students.