Westbrook Superintendent Stan Sawyer retired June 13, only to be rehired moments later under a new contract in the same position.

Sawyer’s previous, three-year contract wasn’t set to expire until the end of June 2008. He now has a new contract that takes him through that period, though he will begin to collect his retirement pension as he continues to work as the superintendent.

School Committee member Tim Crellin, who cast the sole dissenting vote against rehiring Sawyer, said Tuesday he believed in Sawyer as a superintendent, but that he was “philosophically opposed” to the idea that Sawyer retire in order to begin collecting his pension while he maintained his job.

“Double dipping sort of belongs at Dairy Queen,” said Crellin.

More specifically, however, Crellin said that if someone retires, the normal hiring process should be put in place. It may be the case, Crellin said, that Sawyer would be the best candidate for the job, but the process of hiring should be followed.

Sawyer, 61, has been superintendent in Westbrook for eight years. He made the school committee aware that he was thinking of retiring this year in the fall, but he had not made a decision and no work was started on finding a successor, according to Colleen Hilton, chairwoman of the school committee.

“Succession planning should have taken place during the whole process,” Crellin said.

Crellin said there seemed to be what was “reasonably close to a tacit agreement” that the committee would rehire Sawyer for another year if he retired. He said there are processes in place to hire personnel after someone leaves – advertisements and interviews – but none of that was done.

Crellin’s wife, Tina Crellin, human resources director for Westbrook, said while it has no written policy in place, the city does not allow employees to retire and be rehired immediately for the same position. She said the practice has happened in the past, specifically with Police Chief Paul McCarthy, but new administration and the human resources department do not allow it any more. She said the practice is not considered good personnel policy.

Other members of the committee supported Sawyer in his decision to retire and stay on for another year. They said they were glad Sawyer was remaining on the job, despite his desire to retire, citing the new school consolidation law and the start of the new middle school as large projects that would benefit from the continuity of keeping Sawyer on board.

“It’s kind of a tough time to be making a move,” Hilton said. “School consolidation is looming, and nobody knows what that means.”

Hilton said there is no intention of this going on year after year, and that community forums would begin in the fall to begin the search for a new superintendent.

Sawyer’s new contract, which also expires June 2008, reduces his annual salary from $112,500 to $96,200, but includes an additional $20,500 payment to a tax shelter annuity.

Sawyer’s new contract also includes a $3,400 health insurance stipend that was not in his previous contract, but Sawyer said that change was because his wife retired in December and he is no longer on her health insurance plan. The school department began paying a health insurance stipend before the change of contract, he said.

Tim Crellin said the hike in Sawyer’s overall salary and benefit package is comparable to the increases others in the department will see from standard yearly increases. He said it does appear to be a “sweetheart deal” because Sawyer will now be bringing home two salaries.

Because Sawyer is of “normal retirement age” according to the Maine State Retirement System – the system that administers retirement programs for state employees – there is no rule that would prevent Sawyer from reaping the rewards of his retirement plan while continuing to work. However, there are rules in place that prevent people from retiring early and continuing to stay employed in the same position.

John Milazzo, chief deputy executive director and general counsel of the Maine State Retirement System, said employers have to certify that there is a “bona fide termination” before an employee can return to their position. For employees taking advantage of early retirement, this means that they must not work for the employer for at least 30 days and must certify they had no previous discussions about future employment.

For Sawyer, because he is of normal retirement age, the rehiring wasn’t an issue.

“I think the laws are set up for superintendents to do this because there is a scarcity of people going into these positions,” Sawyer said this week. “It’s something I’ve worked for as an educator for 38 years.”

Sawyer said that he had “really wanted to retire this year,” and planned to retire whether the department kept him on for another year or not. He said the option to rehire him was the committee’s.

Sawyer also said that he would be able to help next year transitioning a new superintendent into his position, suggesting that toward the end of the budget season would be a particular time to help out.

“I’m pleased that they value me enough to keep me on,” Sawyer said. “There is still a lot that has to be done between now and May of 2008, when we bond and break ground (on the new middle school).”

Sawyer and his wife, Jane, live in Harpswell, where they moved into a new home in November. He hasn’t thought too much about what he plans to do after he does finally retire, though he mentioned he has plenty of experience with school construction and may get into consulting. He will also spend a lot of time traveling and visiting a growing gaggle of grandchildren.

He can also “still dance a storm,” he said, and despite his white hair he’s younger than he looks.