PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Maine School Administrative District 1 is hiring a consultant to help the district navigate the complicated process of closing, consolidating and/or building a new school.
MSAD 1 is waiting to see whether its application for new school construction funding made the short list with the Maine Department of Education.
The district is set to hear back from the DOE by Aug. 21, said Clinton Deschene, MSAD 1 assistant superintendent for business.
Regardless of whether MSAD 1 makes the DOE’s list of districts most in need of funding, the local school board will be looking at “right-sizing” options for dealing with the challenges of excess capacity and aging school buildings.
At the advice of the DOE, MSAD 1 is hiring a consultant to conduct a feasibility and planning study analyzing the existing schools and options for restructuring.
While Deschene and other school administration and board members have spent a lot of time discussing the issue and potential options, the use of an architectural and engineering expert was recommended by the state, Deschene said.
The board’s strategic planning committee, which has been leading the rightsizing initiative, also endorsed the idea and the district is now seeking proposals from contractors for the study, with the price to be negotiated, Deschene said.
“Whether we get state money or use our own money, the strategic planning committee thinks we need to get more organized,” Deschene said.
MSAD 1’s application for new school funding cites a range of problems with its three oldest schools — Pine Street, Zippel and Presque Isle High School — such as high heating costs, poor air quality and outdated building layouts.
“The buildings’ age, quality and aesthetics directly impact student achievement,” the SAD 1 application states. The buildings have “sustained an aesthetically excellent condition,” but that conceals “systems and maintenance that require repair in excess of what SAD No.1 can afford.”
Out of a more than $20 million annual budget, the district spends $2 million just to operate the school buildings, according to Deschene.
If MSAD 1 were awarded new school funding, it could build a new elementary school for pre-kindergarten to grade 8, according to the application.
This option would bring elementary students, teachers and staff to one place, and would allow for the closure of Pine Street, Zippel Elementary and Presque Isle High School. The high school, along with other district departments and programs, could then be located in the current middle school, which was built in 2005 and now is only about half full.
Any plan for school closure or construction would have to be approved in a referendum by local voters.
