Ludlow residents OK SAD 70 withdrawal plan

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
TOWN MEETING — Moderator Gary Stairs, second from left, speaks to the audience Thursday evening during Ludlow’s annual town meeting. About 40 residents came out for the event. Taking notes is Town Manager Diane Hines, left, as selectmen Virginia McCain and Greg Dow listen.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    LUDLOW — By nearly a two-to-one margin, voters in Ludlow agreed Thursday to move forward with the concept of withdrawing from SAD 70.
    Residents gave the go-ahead to start the withdrawal process by a referendum vote of 67-36. The withdrawal proposal was initiated with a petition circulated in the community a couple of weeks ago, according to Town Manager Diane Hines. A public hearing on the matter was held March 19.
    The intent of the withdrawal process is to have Ludlow students join neighboring SAD 29. Ludlow is about three miles from the SAD 29 schools, while the SAD 70 schools are about nine miles away. In fact, SAD 70 school busses must drive through Houlton in order to transport students to and from school.
    Concerns at the March 19 public hearing included bus schedules for students and the well-being of a child who has to transfer from SAD 70 schools to SAD 29. According to Hines, there are roughly 80 school-aged children in Ludlow. Twelve of those students are home schooled, and about 20 others are attending Greater Houlton Christian Academy or are already in SAD 29 as part of a long-standing “superintendent’s agreement” that allowed parents to choose between the two districts.
    SAD 70 is comprised of Amity, Cary Plantation, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, Ludlow and New Limerick. SAD 29 is made up of Houlton, Littleton, Monticello and Hammond.
    SAD 70 Superintendent Bob McDaniel said the issue of Ludlow withdrawing from the district came as a bit of a surprise.
    “The town manager told me about a month ago that there were people looking into this and that a petition was being circulated,” McDaniel said. “It wasn’t on my radar before that.”
    McDaniel said the next step for the town was to file a letter of intent with the state’s education commissioner (Stephen Bowen) who must approve the withdrawal process. The commissioner can either grant or deny the withdrawal request even if the town supports it.
    If the commissioner approves, Ludlow town officials and the two school boards would be notified. The town would need to form a reorganization committee to represent the effort and negotiate the terms of the proposal within 90 days.
    The agreement must provide that the withdrawal take effect at the end of the school’s fiscal year. Another public hearing would need to be held to discuss the benefits of the withdrawal agreement. After that, another referendum vote for Ludlow would take place. A two-thirds majority vote would be needed in order for the change to be finalized.
    SAD 29 would also have to have a referendum from its supporting to towns to accept Ludlow into its ranks, McDaniel said. SAD 29 Superintendent Mike Hammer said he had given a verbal commitment to Ludlow officials to explore adding those students to his district.
    McDaniel added even if the process does move forward, it could take upwards of two years to be finalized because the 2011-12 fiscal year ends in June. Hines said she thought the process could be finalized as soon as the next school year.
    Last Thursday’s referendum also authorized the town to spend up to $750 with its withdrawal committee and pledged an additional $3,500.
    By withdrawing from SAD 70, the town of Ludlow could save money on its tax bills. The town currently spends about $217,000 for its share of the SAD 70 budget. By making the switch to SAD 29, the town’s costs for education would be about $168,795, a savings of about $48,000 per year, according to Hines.
    Ludlow could also opt to become a “stand alone” community and tuition students to wherever they chose.