WINTHROP — School board members have named former Monmouth Superintendent Steve Cottrell to lead Winthrop's schools for the coming school year.

Cottrell, who left his Monmouth job in September, will become a part-time chief for the 850-student, single-town school system.

School board members have not yet negotiated a salary for Cottrell, but the district's 2008-09 budget sets aside $57,000 to pay a superintendent.

The school board chose Cottrell from a field of seven applicants.

"He came well prepared, references were good," said Isaac Dyer, the board's vice chairman. "He's familiar with the area. He was also interested in part-time, which our job was."

The coming school year will be a transition year for school districts across Maine as they work on implementing a state law requiring the state's 290 school districts to combine into 80. Winthrop is planning to merge administratively with the Maranacook-area and Fayette school systems.