Staying on Wiscasset's school committee would be "untenable," Jonathan Barnes said in resigning Aug. 26.

"(This) decision ... has come only after considerable reflection and after recognizing the personal and professional consequences of continuing in an environment that I believe has become fundamentally incompatible with my ability to serve effectively. I regret that circumstances have brought me to this point, particularly because I have remained committed to serving the students and community of Wiscasset," Barnes wrote in his letter he emailed the committee while the first of its now monthly workshops was underway. He did not attend.

"I appreciate the opportunity to have served the students, families, staff, and community of Wiscasset. I entered elected service with the intention of making a positive contribution and advocating for what I believed was in the best interests of the students and community. It is unfortunate that I have concluded that I can no longer do that effectively from this position."

Barnes has been one of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kim Andersson's and the school committee's most vocal critics. Most recently, he'd argued unsuccessfully for an outside probe into last May's incident in the Wiscasset Middle High School gym for which a senior was charged with aggravated assault against an eighth grader.

"I have attempted to fulfill my responsibilities as an elected School Committee member in good faith and to raise concerns through appropriate channels when I believed that doing so was necessary to protect students, staff, the integrity of the district, and the interests of the community," Barnes wrote. "I had hoped those concerns could be addressed through the normal processes of the School Committee. Unfortunately, I no longer believe that I can effectively fulfill my responsibilities under the circumstances that have developed."

Asked for comment on Barnes' resignation, Andersson said Aug. 27, "I wish him the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service to our school community." Andersson made no comment on the contents of Barnes' letter. Wiscasset Newspaper has also sought any comment from Chair Tracey Whitney. 

Barnes' letter mentions his Civil Rights Notice of Claim and Notice of Imminent Litigation, which, he told Wiscasset Newspaper, has been submitted to the superintendent and the committee. The department has received a notice of claim, Andersson confirmed. She had no comment on it. 

Barnes won his three-year term in June 2024. By policy at wiscassetschools.org, when a school committee member leaves a term early, the committee will, within 30 days of the vacancy's being declared, appoint a resident until the next town election. The policy calls for waiting on the appointment for seven to 14 days after the vacancy is declared.