Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson hopes the state’s Board of Education will allow SAD 1 and SAD 32 to continue the collaborative efforts the two districts have already undertaken and not order the two to merge. At last Wednesday night’s SAD 1 board meeting, Johnson told directors that after recently meeting with legislators, municipal and education officials, he believes the state thinks it would be a “no-brainer” for the Presque Isle and Ashland districts to consolidate.
“That idea is not flying well in SAD 32,” said Johnson, who is also the SAD 32 superintendent. “I’ve put some considerations together, and partnering is not as obvious of a no-brainer as it would appear.”
Geographically, both districts cover large, rural areas of central Aroostook County with SAD 32 encompassing almost 270 square miles and SAD 1 covering 220 square miles for a combined total of nearly 500 square miles, spanning 80 miles in length and an hour and-a-half of travel from one end to the other.
“That would be a huge geographic area,” said Johnson, “… larger than any proposed consolidation area in the state. That doesn’t make sense to us.”
Despite its larger land area, SAD 32 has a total population of 2,316 with a student population of 323, while SAD 1 has a population of 13,000 and a student count of 2,078.
“SAD 1 has almost as many students as the communities comprising SAD 32 has residents,” Johnson said. “The two regions are very unlike each other.”
Property values per student are markedly different as well with $462,000 per student in SAD 32 versus $266,000 per student in SAD 1.
“In short, a merger of the two would leave SAD 32 with about 15 percent (two members on the 15-member school board) of the combined voting power on a new regional board despite holding 25 percent of the total property value,” said Johnson. “They would be losing representation both in terms of the number of people sitting around the table and valuations.”
In addition, SAD 32 residents would absorb more of the tax spread.
“It seems quite likely that the combined tax mill rate for the potential Regional School Unit would be something much closer to the current 11.6 mills for SAD 1 and would represent a hefty increase over the current 9.5 mills for SAD 32,” Johnson said. “Less representation – combined with more taxation – would seem to present an ‘unwanted financial disadvantage’ for residents of SAD 32.”
Johnson told directors that a merged RSU would result in a “leveling” of the salary schedule for the two districts.
“Presently, SAD 1 offers a considerably higher employee salary package than SAD 32,” he said. “Additional cost to Presque Isle taxpayers would be approximately $300,000.”
Travel for students in SAD 32 is another concern.
“Many students in SAD 32 are picked up at 6:05 a.m. and travel three hours on the bus each school day,” said Johnson. “Out-of-district busing, even of high school students, given the time required and routings involved, makes little sense economically or educationally.”
Johnson called SAD 32 a “very poor candidate for regionalization” based on geography, sparsity of population, lack of response from neighboring school districts, and relatively high property values.
“Some observers may see a natural link with SAD 1, the largest adjourning school district,” he said. “On closer inspection, these two units would not make good partners.
“What does make sense is a continuation of the collaborative efforts already undertaken by the school boards of SAD 32 and SAD 1,” said Johnson.
Last year, SAD 32 eliminated a full-time superintendent and central office administration, and approached SAD 1 to share services. A collaboration was formed which lowered the SAD 32 system administration budget for 2007 by $278,610 or 58 percent.
“SAD 1 realized a $30,000 savings in this arrangement also,” said Johnson. “The units now share system administration, fiscal management, special education administration, curriculum oversight, and student technology coordination. Further collaboration is imminent in the areas of student transportation and plant operation and maintenance.
“Although many of the ‘easy savings’ have been realized in terms of administration, it is reasonable to project additional reductions in non-instructional costs of up to $200,000 per year by the 2010-11 school year with goals of an additional $20,000 in administrative costs cut, $150,000 savings in plant operations and maintenance, and $30,000 in student transportation,” he said, noting that $200,000 added to instructional efforts would represent about 6 percent of the current overall budget. “Completion of the proposed new pre-K to 12 school in 2009 will result in additional operating efficiencies as two old structures will be closed.”
Johnson said it is clear that system administrative costs have been significantly lowered in the collaborative arrangement that presently exists in SAD 1 and SAD 32.
“We don’t feel there will be significant additional savings if the two districts merged,” he said. “We respectfully request that SAD 1’s alternative plan be allowed to move forward for further development and that SAD 32 be granted ‘doughnut hole status’ due to geographic isolation, lack of interest from surrounding systems, and cost saving collaboration with SAD 1.
“Where is the advantage of merging us now when we already stepped out when nobody else would?” Johnson said. “We’re asking the state to let us continue that arrangement.”
Johnson said he will send the regionalization considerations to Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron. During the first week of October, Johnson and the respective school board members will meet with Jim Rier, the Department’s director of finance and operations, to discus the financial feasibility of the districts’ proposal. Shortly thereafter, Gendron will meet with the district representatives, as well.
