NEW SWEDEN, Maine — The New Sweden School Committee held a brief meeting on Tuesday, April 11 in which they approved wording for a special referendum article related to the potential closure of the town’s school.
A member of the small audience asked School Committee Chairman Michael Stotler to read the referendum in its entirety.
“Shall the School Committee of New Sweden be authorized to close New Sweden Consolidated School? You can answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” Stotler said. “The cost of keeping the school open has been estimated by the School Committee to be $571,392.91”
Union 122 Business Manager Chris Martin clarified that the wording of the final ballot question and financial estimate to keep the school open is pending the Maine Department of Education’s approval, adding that the School Committee may need to hold an emergency meeting if there are any suggested changes on the state level.
If the state approves the School Committee’s estimate and referendum wording, the process will continue to move forward.
Before adjourning, Stotler commented on the short length of the committee’s meetings.
“Our meetings aren’t necessarily long, as we have a good understanding of things thanks to the Superintendent’s office emailing us beforehand. We’re already prepared to ask questions to Chris or Karla (Michaud, Union 122 superintendent). A lot of times we move fairly quickly, but it’s not to shun the public or anyone from having input, or to take away from the importance of the meeting. I’m a doer, and I don’t like to talk a lot, but the bottom line is I do the best I can to move the meetings along, so if I’ve stepped on anyone’s toes I apologize, and I sincerely mean that. Sometimes it may seem impersonal and that’s not the intent.”
Martin handed out an estimated timeline of the School Committee’s plans. According to the schedule, the School Committee will learn if MDOE found the facts and figures regarding their financial estimates to be unbiased and trustworthy on April 17. If they did not approve the dollar amount figure on the referendum, the School Committee will need to hold an emergency meeting on April 19 in which they discuss changes recommended by state education officials.
Once the state approves the referendum wording, New Sweden Selectmen will approve it on April 20.
The next step is a public meeting in which the people of New Sweden will have an opportunity to ask questions about the referendum. As of April 11, a date has not been set for this meeting. The special referendum is tentatively scheduled for June 13, just two days before New Sweden’s annual town meeting.
The School Committee will then meet on June 20 to vote on a budget to either continue or close the school, based on the outcome of the referendum.
