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Fern Desjardins


Fern Desjardins was nominated to the Maine State Board of Education by former Governor Paul LePage and was confirmed by the Maine Senate in April 2018 for a term of 5 years. She currently serves on the state board’s construction committee and sits on the Maine Charter School Commission. In the past, Desjardins has served on accreditation teams for institutions of higher education institutions of higher education.

Desjardins started her career in education 43 years ago as a teacher, and later became an elementary school principal and superintendent of schools. She taught graduate level courses for the University of Maine as an adjunct faculty member for almost a decade. She has been a facilitator for regionalization efforts of school systems in northern Penobscot County and Western Washington County. She is also a member of the English Learners Advisory Council at the Maine Department of Education, Maine Small Schools Coalition, and has served as a grant reader for Maine’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program.

Desjardins holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s in language arts from University of Maine, a certificate of advanced studies in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine, and a B.S. in elementary education from the University of Maine at Fort Kent.


Latest Contributions

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The NASBE Interview: Fern Desjardins, Robin Stevens, and Sandra Kowalski

By Fern Desjardins, Robin Stevens and Sandra Kowalski

The rural perspective needs to be brought to the state board. There are so many implications.