Copyright Bangor Daily News
Old Town’s assistant superintendent has been declared the 2026 Assistant Superintendent of the Year. Jon Doty received the award Wednesday during the annual meeting of the Maine School Superintendents Association at the Augusta Civic Center. Doty has spent 25 years with Regional School Unit 34, the last four as assistant superintendent. Before that, he served as coordinator for both curriculum and gifted and talented services. “Jon is truly exceptional — his passion for solving complex educational challenges, particularly in educator recruitment and certification, is matched only by his extraordinary communication skills and unwavering dedication to the profession,” said RSU 34 Superintendent Matthew Cyr, who has worked with Doty for more than two decades, first as teachers at Leonard Middle School and today as the Old Town district’s leadership team. Maine School Superintendents Association Executive Director Eileen King called Doty a “shining example” of how school leaders can improve education for Maine kids. “Jon is a problem-solver who keeps the best interest of kids at the center of every decision he makes,” she said. During his time with the Old Town school district, Doty helped create partnerships with colleges and universities to bring aspiring educators into his schools to alleviate a substitute teacher shortage. The program partnered them with a mentor teacher, enabling those students to gain knowledge and experience. Since that program began, 90 students have participated, nine of whom went on to become full-time educators for RSU 34. Doty also has been an advocate for creating more paths toward gaining teaching certifications for career changers. Additionally, Doty was a co-leader of an initiative to expose more students — from kindergarten to 12th grade — to science, technology, engineering and math programming, both in the classroom and after school. “Talented and dedicated educators like Jon Doty make me confident in the present and future of Maine schools. What is so notable about Jon’s work is his deep commitment to supporting other educators in achieving similar levels of excellence,” said Ezekiel Kimball, the dean of the University of Maine’s College of Education and Human Development. “Jon Doty is the sort of educator that other educators aspire to emulate, and his work serves as an exemplary model for effective practice.” Beyond his work in Old Town, Doty serves as president of the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association and was named the 2020 Maine Curriculum Leader of the Year.
