Hard decisions have to be made in RSU 50, in the near future, regarding the fate of the district’s school buildings.
In November, school board members began the process of looking at the district’s infrastructure, including Katahdin Elementary, Katahdin Middle/ High schools and Southern Aroostook Community School.
“We are dealing with what is put in front of us,” said Phil Knowles, vice chairman of RSU 50 school board. “It is not going to be an easy situation. It is not an easy answer.”
Knowles did ask those in attendance to be patient as the school board goes through the process and if anyone has questions on what happens at the board level or what is on an agenda, direct them to the school board members or administration.
At Dyer Brook on Monday, the RSU 50 school board reviewed and then eliminated two of the 10 options for the district in its pursuit of cutting costs.
The school board has not received the feasibility study done on the existing building structures at each location – Stacyville and Dyer Brook. They are hoping that those numbers will be available at the next board meeting on Feb. 9.
At their Monday meeting, the RSU 50 school board took two options off the table — one, to consolidate the middle school students in one location and consolidate high schools in the other location; and two, keep K-8 schools in local districts and tuition all high school students. Essentially having no regional school unit or RSU.
The direction to follow is not being taken lightly by the school board members and they know from this point on, it will be a difficult task to find the right choice for all.
The remaining choices for the school board to consider are: no change, schools operate as they are; a new preK-12 building, centrally located; consolidate preK-12 north, closing all Katahdin schools; consolidate preK-12 south, close all Southern Aroostook buildings; consolidate grades 7-12 north, closing Katahdin Middle School and send students to 7-12 to Dyer Brook; consolidate grades 7-12 south, closing Southern Aroostook’s Middle School and sending 7-12 students to Stacyville; a new centralized grades 7-12 building and retain local elementary schools; and consolidate Katahdin Elementary School and Katahdin Middle School into one building.
In Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Larry Malone went over the steps for closing a school to how voting is handled. Information may be found under Maine statutes for RSUs or on the district’s website.
“In order for your board to close a school, it has to be a two-thirds of those weighed votes for that to occur,” he explained. “For clarity, if the board takes action to a close a building, it will be based on projected savings or availability of space needed. We do not have an overcrowded issue. It is whether or not we need extra facilities and/or cost savings.
“Once that is decided, the state provides us with a template to follow in order to create cost savings,” Malone continued. “The state would look at the district’s expenditures and give us a number of what they believe would be the projected cost savings.
“That vote to close the school then goes to the communities,” he added. “An article is brought to the voters. In an RSU, it goes to the towns that made up the former district — those towns in SAD 25 and CSD 9 — not tuitioning communities.”
The article would read: Do you authorize the school directors to close said school, yes or no. A yes vote means the school is closed. It is done. If the majority of voters choose to keep a school open, the projected cost savings would be picked up by those communities making up the old SAD and CSD because it is the taxpayers voting to keep the school open, so they would share the burden of additional costs.
“It is a cycle,” said Malone. “The issue comes back to board, if they take no action that year, all those costs go back into the RSU budget and are spread out over the whole district. If the board takes action again, same process, close the school, new projected costs/procedures goes back to the community. If the community votes yes, keep it open, the costs are theirs again. If it is close it, then it ends. That can be a cycle that continues until the process ends.”
Even though the board takes the action, the final vote is in the taxpayers’ hands.
Mt. Chase is looking at withdrawing from the RSU, as they have a high assessment. If they withdraw, they are responsible for tuition costs — the lesser of the state average or the RSU average — state average will be less. That would be for regular education costs. The town would be responsible for special education costs, transportation to be negotiated or to be provided personally and central office cost would have to be negotiated with the receiving RSU.
Malone did say that it is anticipated that the district would receive less revenue from the state this year and that it looks like there will be an increase in the school budget, with insurance being budgeted at 10 percent, an addition of a bus, and if the board votes to keep the district as it is aligned now.
In other business: David Alward of Davis, Gates and Alward presented the findings of the recent RSU 50 audit. The district had a clean audit, no concerns were brought forth.
Bonny Cox will resign at the end of the school year as music director for Katahdin schools.
The policy committee has looked at 165 policies to date since the RSU came together three and a half years ago. Those policies adopted by the RSU are what is being administered in the district. If a policy has not been adopted by the RSU, the default goes back to the school’s original policy.
The district has filed an extension on the proficiency-based education for both Southern Aroostook and Katahdin to start in 2020.
The Bridge program will be open to sophomores next fall. There will be a parent meeting in February and student applications will be collected and determined in March.
The facility committee will meet Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Southern Aroostook Community School. Snow date is Thursday, Jan. 29. The meeting will consider the study done by Ames Associates.
