STACYVILLE, Maine — Five communities that formerly were part of the Katahdin school district, have overwhelmingly voted to pull out of Regional School Unit 50.
RSU 50 serves 12 communities — Crystal, Dyer Brook, Hersey, Island Falls, Merrill, Moro Plantation, Mount Chase, Oakfield, Patten, Sherman, Smyrna and Stacyville. The district is a combination of the former SAD 25 (Katahdin area) and CSD 9 (Southern Aroostook) school districts and was formed in 2011 as part of the state’s push for consolidation at that time.
Now, four of the former SAD 25 towns are looking to recreate their partnership and form a new school district after 88 percent of those who voted in Patten, Sherman, Mount Chase, and Stacyville endorsed the plan to leave RSU 50 during Tuesday’s election. Residents of Moro Plantation also voted to withdraw from the RSU, but will not be joining the other withdrawing communities in forming a new district.
Residents of Patten, Sherman, Mount Chase, and Stacyville were asked two questions during Tuesday’s elections. Question one asked voters: “Do you favor the withdrawal from Regional School Unit 50 subject to the terms and conditions of the withdrawal agreement dated June 15, 2017?”
A breakdown of voting results for Question one was as follows: Patten, 375 in favor (88 percent), 45 opposed (11 percent); Mount Chase, 87 in favor (91 percent), and nine opposed (9 percent); Stacyville, 155 in favor (92 percent), 13 opposed (8 percent); and Sherman, 284 in favor (84 percent) and 52 opposed (15 percent).
Question two asked voters: “In the event Question 1 is approved, do you favor approving the school administrative reorganization plan prepared by the Reorganization Planning Committee to reorganize the Towns of Patten, Stacyville, Sherman, and Mount Chase into a regional school unit, with an effective date of July 1, 2018?”
That question also received overwhelming endorsement from voters. A breakdown shows: Patten, 380 in favor (89 percent) and 38 opposed (9 percent); Mount Chase, 85 in favor (89 percent) and 10 opposed (10 percent); Stacyville, 153 in favor (91 percent) and 11 opposed (7 percent); and Sherman, 287 in favor (85 percent) and 43 opposed (13 percent).
Moro Plantation voters unanimously approved the withdrawal by a vote of 18 in favor and none opposed. Moro Plantation is not joining the to-be-formed Katahdin school district and therefore only had one question on that community’s ballot. The plantation will tuition its students.
Withdrawal plans were put into motion almost two years ago, following a failed effort by the RSU 50 school board to close Katahdin Middle /High School during the budget process.
The board was considering closing Katahdin Middle-High School and sending its seventh- and eighth-graders from that school across the street to Katahdin Elementary School. The remaining students in grades 9-12 would have been bused roughly 22 miles up Interstate 95 to Southern Aroostook Community School in Dyer Brook.
“The overwhelming majority of citizens that cast ballots obviously recognize how important our local schools are to their communities,” Richard Schmidt, one of the organizers of the grassroots withdrawal effort, said Wednesday. “Although there is more work to be done, the value of reaching this important milestone cannot be overstated, in my opinion. The tireless work throughout the past twenty-one months will continue to ensure our students, staff, and communities are afforded the maximum opportunities to succeed.”
Schmidt explained that the next step for each municipality will be forming the new school unit. To accomplish that goal, an election must be held to elect new school board members. That new school board will then go to work on the details such as developing a budget and hiring new leadership.
According to enrollment figures provided by the RSU 50 superintendent’s office, as of Oct. 20, there were 332 students in the two Katahdin schools (181 at KES and 151 at KMHS), while SACS has 336 students in pre-K to grade 12.
As part of the separation agreement, RSU 50 will return ownership of the Katahdin Area High School and Katahdin Elementary School, and $200,000 from RSU 50’s surplus account. This amount was the initial contribution made by SAD 25 when RSU 50 was formed.
A multi-year reciprocal agreement also will be put in place with the goal of maintaining community services currently shared between the two schools. Also, any students residing in the withdrawing communities who attend classes at Southern Aroostook Community School, will have the right to continue their education at that school.
