Regional School Unit 4, which includes Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales, is one of the Maine school districts still trying to fill open positions before the school year begins later this month. The district’s high school, Oak Hill High School in Wales, is seen last year.  Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file

LITCHFIELD — Jill Harrison of Wales hopes her son will have a classroom teacher by Aug. 28, the first day of school.

Chelsea Sawyer, another mother from Wales, hopes her child’s individualized education plan is still met despite the staff vacancies.

The mothers were among the parents who spoke Tuesday night at an emergency Regional School Unit 4 board meeting with concerns after seven of Carrie Ricker School’s 39 staff members have resigned since July, including four classroom teachers and the school’s principal.

The meeting specifically focused on Carrie Ricker School. However, across the district, 17 people have resigned since July 1.

Superintendent Katy Grondin said that school still plans on opening despite the vacancies, and that all student needs will be met. She expects the positions to be filled within the next couple of weeks, noting there are several applicants already for the roles.

“I’ve had certain questions like, ‘What if you can’t hire them?’ But there are lots of contingency plans to put into place, which involves looking at the current staff, case loads and putting in long-term subs,” Grondin said at the meeting.

In recent months, RSU 4 — encompassing Litchfield, Sabattus and Wales — has seen the formation of a committee in Litchfield to explore the possibility of withdrawing from the school district. Two weeks ago, the three RSU 4 towns overwhelmingly voted down the school district’s proposed $22.78 million budget in its second referendum, rejecting it after the original budget was reduced by $600,000.

The budget itself cut several positions — including science, art, music and physical education teachers — along with three education technicians who were stationed in the technology department, library and a kindergarten classroom.

Additionally, several school districts across the state have had problems with hiring and walkouts, specifically, in Kennebunk-based RSU 21, where nearly 30 teachers have resigned in the past two months. School districts have struggled over the past few years to hire teachers as several are leaving the profession and others seek higher-paying roles in other school districts.

By Maine law, teachers must be paid at least $40,000 in their first year and subsequently are paid on a scale that considers their education and experience.

School board members at Tuesday’s meeting urged Grondin to send an anonymous exit survey to measure the reasons why people are leaving the district.

Grondin said those who shared their reasons for leaving the district said they either wanted to move closer to home, or be paid more. But, she said, she has received more than 10 applications for the four vacant teacher positions and feels confident the district will find high-quality hires.

“Every day we are pushing to make sure we have the high-quality people in these positions,” said Grondin.

Grondin said that out of the 17 people who left, two were building principals — at Carrie Ricker and Libby Tozier schools, both in Litchfield — and the other was a central office position, the director of building and grounds.

Jan Lavallee, the president of the Regional Schools United 4 Education Association, said other teachers are worried about the staff shortages in the classroom and in administration.

“On behalf of the Regional Schools United 4 Education Association, I can say that we have been concerned for a number of years now with teachers and staff leaving,” she said in a statement. “We’re also concerned about the constant turnover in administration. All of these vacancies and changes are not good for education and we are committed to working together to best support our students and community.”

RSU 4 has about 1,200 students across three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.