LIMESTONE, Maine —With RSU 39’s recent decision to send Limestone’s High School students to Caribou, many in the town are considering leaving the school unit altogether.
Since receiving a petition from local residents, Limestone Town Manager Fred Ventresco says the town is essentially obligated to hold a vote on the matter in May. Before then, residents are encouraged to attend a Special Town Meeting this Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fire Station on 155 Main Street.
While townsfolk won’t be voting to withdraw during this meeting, they will vote to see if the town should take $25,000 from its fund balance to “research/explore options, gather facts and figures, and determine the choices and costs of schooling the students of Limestone, and further to look into the possibility of keeping LCS open for all grades this upcoming school year,” according to a warrant posted by the town.
The money would go toward hiring a consultant, and possibly an attorney, to help Limestone officials thoroughly evaluate all options.
RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak has helped Limestone by providing financial data regarding the school so they can determine if the move is worthwhile. Doak, during an April 5 meeting in which the school board voted to send Limestone’s students in grades 9-12 to Caribou, emphasized the additional educational opportunities available at Caribou High School, such as AP (advanced placement) courses, early college classes, and upper-level science and math.
Doak said the decision to transfer Limestone’s high-schoolers to Caribou is related to the state’s ED 279 funding formula, in which a myriad of statistics ranging from staff, student and teacher ratios, property valuations, and overall population determine how much money a school will receive. The superintendent said RSU 39 will lose roughly $1.4 million worth of funding during the 2017-18 year, and that they will continue to lose money moving forward.
The proposed transfer is believed to save RSU 39 roughly $600,935 annually, however many Limestone residents believe their community should not be the one to make this sacrifice, and that Caribou loses comparatively less with the transfer.
Ventresco said the town’s main priority is to gather facts and numbers in an effort to determine the best option for both taxpayers and students.
