Maine School Board Member Seen Slapping Phone From Live Streaming Protestor, Resigns

It was announced at a recent RSU 67 School Board Meeting that a member of the school board, who, in the heat of the moment, slapped the phone from the hand of a man from Newport (who'd been voicing protest at a meeting in September), has resigned from his position on the school board.

The slap occurred at a meeting of the school board last month, which happened to be live-streamed. Board members were supposed to address concerned community members about an alleged incident that took place earlier in the month, but instead, the meeting unraveled, leading to a heated altercation between one of the board members, Andrew Funaro, and a man named Tim Bodnar of Newport, who goes by the handle TruthSlinger X, who became disruptive and vocal during the gathering.

Read More: Community Divided: Lincoln School Board Meeting Turns Contentious

This past Wednesday evening's meeting was also live-streamed, but much tamer than last month's powder-keg event.

Just after the roll call was taken and the Pledge of Allegiance was said, School Board Chair Diane Buck called the meeting to order, beginning with a statement to all in attendance.

"Before we begin our regular meeting, due to the numerous concerns being expressed, and the large number of guests present this evening, I'd like to make the following statement: We do hear you, and we want you to have the opportunity to voice your concerns. The first half of tonight's agenda will be to allow the board to do the regular board business. The end of the meeting will be for public comment. Please sign the consent sheet in order to be eligible to speak....there will be no time limit for speakers this evening. We respectfully ask that you let local residents speak first. Please keep your remarks respectful, and please refrain from using names or any profanity. We welcome your comments and want everyone who wishes to speak to have the opportunity to do so."

After going through some board business, Buck announced that she had received Funaro's official resignation.

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The announcement of the resignation was made about 12 and a half minutes into the meeting.

"I have received official notification of the resignation of Andrew Funaro as an RSU 64 board director. We thank Mr. Funaro for his service to this board."

Shortly after that, it came time for the Superintendent's Report, during which RSU 64 Superintendent Chris Downing made a statement regarding the incident and the community concerns.

"We are all well aware of the community's concerns, and we are working to respond to them in accordance with Maine Law and the board's policy and collective bargaining agreements. To that end, the board will be scheduling a special executive session at its next board meeting on October 15th, 2025, to address these concerns. "

After the rest of the board business had been completed, and the school board opened the meeting up for public comment, several residents offered comments, most of them expressing sadness that Funaro resigned and frustration at how September's meeting deteriorated.
Read More: Community Parents Voice Concerns Over Teacher's Alleged Comments

The board will meet again in just over a week to discuss what the future will hold for the teacher accused of making insensitive or inflammatory remarks following the shooting death of political activist, Charlie Kirk. It was these accusations that were the basis of the original complaints, which ultimately led to the heated exchange at the meeting last month.