Meet Bonny Eagle school district’s new superintendent

Brian Campbell will take the helm of Maine Administrative School District 6 next month, returning to the state where he built much of his educational career to lead the district that includes his own daughter’s high school.

Campbell, who has served as assistant superintendent of New Hampshire’s School Administrative Unit 29 in Keene for the past seven years, succeeds Clay Gleason, who is stepping down after 21 years with the district. The MSAD 6 school board hired Campbell earlier this spring; he begins the role in July.

The move is, by Campbell’s own description, equal parts personal and professional. His daughter is a freshman at Bonny Eagle High School, and the family maintains a home in Buxton, one of the five towns — along with Standish, Limington, Hollis, and Frye Island — that comprise the district. Campbell currently lives in Biddeford while finalizing longer-term arrangements.

“If I’m superintendent, I can see her more regularly, which is really important,” he said.

Campbell’s resume traces a long arc through Maine schools. Before his decade in New Hampshire, he served as principal at Saco Middle School, Freeport High School, and the combined middle and high school in Searsport. Earlier in his career, he worked as a teacher, athletic director, and dean of students. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and business from Albany State University, a master’s in educational administration from Capella University, and a certificate of advanced graduate study in district leadership from the same institution.

His time in Keene, he said, prepared him structurally for the Bonny Eagle job. SAU 29 encompasses seven autonomous districts that feed into a single high school, each with its own board and budget but operating under a shared supervisory union — a model that mirrors MSAD 6’s configuration.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with really great administrators who wanted to align themselves with the best interests of the kids so that they have equal footing as they move into high school,” Campbell said. “MSAD 6 is structured in a similar fashion. I can work with the other administrators to build a really strong, cohesive system that benefits kids throughout their high school experience.”

The district spans roughly 40 minutes from end to end, a geographic expanse Campbell said he is not “overly concerned” about. The challenge, as he sees it, is relational.

“It’s finding what matters in each community. What are their strengths? What are their areas where we can focus to strengthen?” he said. “It’s really finding what the community desires for their students, and working to maintain the excellence that they’re seeing, and the traditions within the district.”

One immediate question awaiting Campbell is the fate of “One Bonny Eagle,” the $400 million facilities overhaul Gleason proposed nearly two years ago. Campbell declined to weigh in, saying he is meeting with Gleason and central office administrators this week to learn the details.

“I can’t pass a judgment on a proposal until I understand the details,” he said. “For me to make assumptions and identify next steps would be inappropriate at this time.”

Campbell presented the board with a 100-day entry plan centered on listening. He intends to meet face-to-face with stakeholders across the district’s towns — law enforcement and emergency personnel, school administrators, support staff, teachers, and each board member individually.

“My initial 100 days is a listening session for me,” he said. “It’s building my knowledge, building my understanding, so I can best support each individual.”

He described his leadership style as that of a “servant leader” — someone focused on ensuring teachers and administrators have what they need to drive student growth. Academic outcomes remain a core preoccupation.

“I’ve always been hyper-focused, probably to a fault, on educational outcomes,” he said. “Where are we at academically? Where are our kids at? What opportunities are they going to have post-Bonny Eagle? I’ve been focused on making sure that they are equipped to tackle whatever endeavor they want.”

Campbell also plans to bring forward a tool he has used in Keene: MagicSchool AI, a platform that helps teachers align curriculum and assessments across grade levels and content areas. The system allows educators to calibrate the depth of knowledge and rigor in both instruction and evaluation, producing data on student growth that goes beyond annual state testing snapshots.

He said he will introduce the platform to MSAD 6’s instructional coaches, curriculum director, and assistant superintendent for a collective decision on whether to adopt it district-wide.

Campbell’s path to administration began early. After five years as a classroom teacher, he joined the design team that created Rivendell Academy in Orford, New Hampshire, where he served as assistant principal and athletic director simultaneously. He credited those roles with teaching him how to build trust with students and parents — relationships he said he misses and hopes to rebuild.

“I think a strength was building relationships with kids and gaining the trust of their parents,” he said. “I look forward to rebuilding the relationships that I’ve had in the past with students.”

For now, Campbell is focused on the transition. He will spend the coming weeks learning the district’s rhythms, its people, and its unfinished business — starting with the superintendent who held the job for two decades.

“I understand that the current superintendent has been in the district for 21 years or so, and has developed those relationships,” Campbell said. “For me, it’s about initially developing relationships… building trust and people understanding that I’m ultimately a servant leader.”