BRUNSWICK

Brunswick High School Principal Art Abelmann resigned abruptly Wednesday, just weeks prior to graduation and in the wake of a similar departure from his most recent post in Colorado.

School board members were tight-lipped about the departure and referred calls to Superintendent Paul Perzanoski, who was unavailable for comment this morning.

Likewise, Assistant Superintendent Greg Bartlett declined to discuss the reasons for Abelmann’s departure. “It’s a personnel issue,” Bartlett said. “I can’t comment.”

School Board Chairman Jim Grant declined to detail the nature of Abelmann’s departure this morning.

At the conclusion of a brief executive session Wednesday night, “he tenured a resignation that we accepted in open session,” Grant said. “That’s the end of what was discussed in public session.”

He declined further comment, saying he had “no knowledge” of the circumstances surrounding Abelmann’s exit.

Donna Borowick, whom Abelmann replaced, will temporarily assume the duties of principal, according to a let- ter dated Wednesday from Perzanoski and posted on the Brunswick High School website.

“We expect the school to continue to run smoothly with no changes in services or activities,” Perzanoski wrote.

Abelmann, who began his tenure less than a year ago, had a two-year contract.

It was unclear this morning whether, and for how long, Brunswick taxpayers will continue to pay Abelmann. School Board member Janet Connors said she believes the board placed him on administrative leave until the end of his contract. If true, Abelmann may collect another year of salary; he is paid $96,000 annually.

Upon his hire in May 2012, Abelmann, 51, portrayed himself as an “agent of change” and said he hoped to finish his professional career in Brunswick.

But his departure mirrors almost precisely the end of his most recent tenure, as principal at Aspen High School in Colorado, where he resigned “effective immediately” with no prior announcement. Abelmann cited personal reasons in that resignation letter.

His tenure in Aspen lasted less than two years. By mutual consent, it was agreed that Abelmann would resign immediately and receive a $30,000 severance payment, and the school district in Aspen was bound not to discuss the circumstances of his departure.

“It’s fair to say that the superintendent and I have been talking to try and figure out an exit strategy that makes sense and this is what it came down to,” Abelmann said after his Aspen resignation.

A 2011 Colorado Department of Education survey completed in May 2012, in which 100 percent of Aspen High School teachers participated, showed Abelmann was highly unpopular there.

When asked if the administrative leadership created “an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect within the school,” 29.8 percent of teachers replied there was, compared to 90.7 percent at Aspen Middle School, according to an analysis of the study quoted in the Aspen Times.

For the statement, “School leadership communicates with the faculty adequately,” just 34.8 percent of AHS teachers agreed. At Aspen Elementary School, the number was more than double that. Asked whether Aspen faculty and leadership “have a shared vision,” 21.3 percent of AHS teachers thought they did. The average for Aspen middle and elementary schools was 71 percent.

Roger Marolt, an Aspen Times columnist, wrote that a member of the Aspen High School staff had filed a complaint with the superintendent’s office taking offense with “the principal’s repeated comments regarding her personal life.” No legal action was taken and no monetary settlement was involved, but the incident “further cemented the prevailing feeling that Abelmann’s personality and management style were not right for AHS,” Marolt wrote.

Shortly after arriving in Brunswick, Abelmann sustained minor injuries after crashing his motorcycle on Maquoit Road while apparently trying to avoid another vehicle.

Brunswick Deputy Police Chief Marc Hagan said Abelmann, whose address was listed as Laconia, N.H., told police he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and lost control of the 2004 Honda motorcycle he was operating on Maquoit Road at 9:10 a.m. Sept. 11, 2012.

Hagan said police had no information on the vehicle Abelmann swerved to avoid.

Abelmann, who was not wearing a helmet, complained of back, neck and head pain, was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland and initially listed in satisfactory condition. He missed five weeks of work after the incident.

After the incident, Abelmann wrote in The Times Record, “I have learned that in life there are ‘if ’ times and ‘when’ times …”

“The details of the accident really are not important. What is worth commenting on is the appreciation and gratitude I wish to extend to the Brunswick High School community. … The support from the Office of the Superintendent, from the administrative offices, from the faculty, students and parents, has been nothing shy of incredible.

“Truly the support shown and given prove to me that Brunswick High School is where I belong. And for that I am full of appreciation and gratitude.”

Abelmann has a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College; a master’s in business administration from Babson College; principal certification from Plymouth State University, and attended graduate school at Harvard.

He was unavailable for comment this morning.

Calls to school board member Corinne Perrault, who served on the panel that reviewed candidates and hired Abelmann in 2012, were unreturned this morning.

Repeated attempts by The Times Record to meet with Abelmann dating back to fall 2012, either in person or by telephone, were rebuffed. Telephone calls were not returned, and scheduled appointments for interviews were ignored or dismissed.

No police reports have been filed against Abelmann, and Hagan told The Times Record in February there was no current investigation against Abelmann.

“I’m completely blindsided by this, and I’m not a guy who likes to be blindsided,” Brunswick Athletic Director Gene Keene said today. “It’s a personnel matter, so I have very little information and I have nothing I can give (to the media).”

jtleonard@timesrecord.com bmentzinger@timesrecord.com