Outspoken conservative resigns from Maine school board

An outspoken conservative and parental rights advocate who was often a dissenting voice in policy discussions has resigned from the local school board, citing a planned move to Florida.

Brandy Robertson of Bowdoin had been vice chair of the Maine School Administrative District 75 board of directors for about a month, and a board member since 2021, when she resigned in a letter dated Aug. 2. The district covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.

“It is with deep sadness and regret that I must resign my position on the Board,” her resignation letter says. “I’ve faithfully attended Board meetings since 2017 and have enjoyed learning the [ins] and outs of being a Director and more importantly, working to create the best education possible for the children of MSAD 75.”

Robertson, who didn’t respond to an interview request, said in the letter that she and her husband are former Florida residents who had planned to return there after their youngest child graduated from college. However, she said they’ve decided to move sooner than planned.

“As we age and see friends, young and old, suffer medical conditions, cancer and unexpected death, we’ve realized we do not want to wait for our next chapter,” the letter says.

Robertson was appointed to the board in early 2021 to fill a vacancy, and was subsequently elected by Bowdoin voters in 2021 for a three-year term. She was reelected this year for another term that would have ended in summer 2027.

During Robertson’s tenure, other conservatives on the 14-member school board have resigned, lost their reelection bids, or opted not to run again. One of the most recent was Eric Lusk of Harpswell, who lost his reelection bid in 2023 to Gregory Greenleaf and William “Bart” Beattie in a race for two open seats.

Robertson’s close association with the school board began in 2019, before she became a board member. That year, she launched a successful online petition drive with Bill Keleher of Topsham to oust then-board Chair Kim Totten of Bowdoin from her leadership role.

In the petition, Robertson and Keleher cited what they described as Totten’s lack of responsiveness and an unwillingness to listen to community members’ concerns, which they said had contributed to an atmosphere of mistrust.

The school board ultimately voted to remove Totten from the chair position, The Times Record reported at the time, although she remained on the board until 2023. Totten chose not to seek reelection that year after serving 18 years on the board.

Despite Robertson’s involvement with the petition, Totten had become an ally and defender of hers in recent years. In general, school board members have praised Robertson for her attention to detail and deep knowledge of district policies.

In October 2021, Robertson joined Totten and Lusk in opposing an extension of the district’s mandatory mask-wearing policy for students following a rash of COVID-19 cases. The measure passed 10-3.

In May 2023, Robertson joined Lusk in opposing a handful of key budget articles , including total spending.

She continued to push against the majority on politically charged issues following Lusk and Totten’s departure from the board, including a proposal to enter a federal lottery for an electric school bus grant . The district opted not to pursue the grant despite the school board’s approval.

Robertson had criticized some elements of the district’s recently adopted anti-discrimination policy for transgender students but ultimately supported it. She proposed an amendment to the policy that would have specified when and how parents would be notified of a student’s request to be recognized as trans. It was rejected by the other board members.

Robertson was next in line to become chair of the school board in 2025. MSAD 75 has a long-standing policy of rotating board leadership each year among the four municipalities covered by the district.

A group of Topsham and Harpswell board members launched an effort in March to end the town rotation system, but they later backed down after receiving pushback from the community. The policy change would have likely taken away Robertson’s chance to become chair, although supporters said that wasn’t their intent. Totten had been among the most vocal opponents of the change.

Steven Connolly, a former MSAD 75 superintendent of schools who resigned in 2023, has accused Robertson and Lusk of politically motivated “micromanagement” of his office, including attempts to delay passage of the transgender policy and a push to remove an LGBTQ+ novel from high school reading lists. Both Robertson and Lusk have denied acting improperly.

In her resignation letter, Robertson said the district is now in good hands since hiring Heidi O’Leary , who previously led the district’s special education programs, as its permanent superintendent in December. Before O’Leary, the superintendent’s office had seen five leadership transitions in as many years.

“A year ago, I may not have moved, feeling my presence on the Board was critical,” Robertson’s resignation letter says. “However, today I am able to resign knowing we have hired an amazing person to serve as Superintendent of Schools.”