LIMESTONE, Maine — Nearly 100 people showed up Wednesday, with the vast majority expressing their determination to proceed with efforts to withdraw from Regional School Unit 39.
The RSU’s decision to send Limestone’s High Schoolers to Caribou motivated townsfolk to gather signatures for withdrawal. Though it may increase local property taxes, Limestone locals, who have already lost Loring Air Force Base and Sitel, a telemarketing company that employed roughly 200, indicated they are not ready to lose another piece of their hometown.
“I would rather see us withdraw, and at least we will have control of where our kids are going, instead of [having a school] board with five people who aren’t from Limestone telling us where our kids are going to go,” said one resident, causing the audience to erupt into applause during the public hearing on the withdrawal process.
RSU 39, which encompasses Caribou, Limestone, and Stockholm, will be experiencing roughly $800,000 worth of state funding cuts for the 2017-18 year and the board’s move to transfer Limestone’s High School students is expected to save roughly $601,000.
While RSU 39 Board members from Limestone were opposed to the move, they were outvoted by their peers, and the town has since allocated $25,000 worth of surplus funds to hire a consultant and attorney to aid in research in the effort to withdraw from RSU 39 and create an independent school system.
Attorney Dan Stockford and educational consultant Dr. Mark Eastman led Wednesday’s hearing, along with members of the Limestone School Committee and Board of Selectpeople. Eastman and Stockford provided community members with information about the process, and some of the necessary steps the town would need to take in order to withdraw.
Townsfolk will be able to vote via secret ballot during a May 16 referendum on whether they want to proceed with withdrawal from RSU 39. The yes or no question will ask residents if they favor withdrawing and allowing the town to spend up to $40,000 to pursue leaving the RSU.
If the withdrawal measure passes, the next step involves forming a four-person committee consisting of a selectman, community member, committee member, and an RSU 39 board member from Limestone to iron out details of a withdrawal agreement. Another townwide vote would then be required to approve the withdrawal agreement, and at least half of the people who voted in the last gubernatorial election would need to go to the polls to ensure the withdrawal vote’s validity. If that agreement is approved by voters, a Limestone School board would then be elected to establish a new school district.
One resident asked if, assuming the petition moves forward, Limestone’s High Schoolers could come back to their hometown.
“I don’t think it’s off the table,” said Eastman. “I think their vote was to transfer grades 9 through 12 to Caribou starting this fall. Dan and I have explored an opportunity to ask them to rescind the move. I discussed that with the superintendent this morning. He thinks it’s unlikely a motion to rescind could happen.”
The consultant added that, as a conciliatory gesture, RSU 39 agreed to put $80,000 into the budget to allow Limestone students to come back to the high school and participate in their athletic program, and also to get their diploma from Limestone, even if they are attending Caribou High School.
“This may provide a continued community connection that we’re afraid we’re going to miss” until the withdrawal process can be hashed out, Eastman said
School Committee Chair Kathie Beaulieu made a few closing statements about the future of Limestone’s High School students after the public comment portion of the hearing.
“We want to offer as much as possible to high school students and are thinking ahead in terms of available options,” said Beaulieu, adding that she was confident the town could maintain a PreKindergarten through 8th grade school. “We’d love to keep them but are also thinking about tuition options and looking at those costs. It may not be the same committee as we have now, since you, as a town, will be able to vote on the newly elected school board.”
