MACHIAS – Washington County’s 10-year drop in the number of people under 18 came to a head this week with word that some members of the Machias School Committee are considering closing the town’s 50-year-old high school.

Principal Terry Atwood said Thursday that Machias interim Superintendent Bruce Sawyer told him the school committee wants to discuss the proposal with high school staff April 23.

Closing a Maine school requires a communitywide referendum and proposing the closure to selectmen would be the first step in that process.

Sawyer said Thursday that the purpose of the April 23 meeting is to address declining enrollments and escalating costs at the high school. While closing the school might be one alternative, it isn’t the only one, Sawyer said.

He said the question of what could be done about the problems at the school arose during the April 9 school committee meeting, which was attended by just three of the five members – Bart Brizee, Julie Millay and Terry Sanborn.

Brizee made an adjustment to the agenda to discuss Machias Memorial High School and there was no vote on any of the alternatives discussed, Sawyer said.

“I suggested an open, free-flowing talk with staff because I don’t think that has been done before,” said Sawyer, who has been interim superintendent since February.

For the last two years, selectmen have objected to proposed school budget increases and those budgets have gone down to defeat during annual town meetings. Revised school budgets were passed in subsequent referendums.

The current Machias school budget is $3,653,093 and Sawyer said the school committee expects to present the proposed 2001-2002 budget to selectmen by the end of this month.

Selectmen have objected to budget increases because of declining enrollments as well as what they believe is an underpayment from other Union 102 towns whose students attend Machias Memorial.

Union 102 comprises Jonesboro, Machias, Marshfield, Northfield, Roque Bluffs, Wesley and Whitneyville.

Tuition is determined by a state formula and Machias selectmen believe the other Union 102 towns are not paying enough to cover the costs of educating their students.

Compounding the problem of declining student enrollment is that not all Union 102 students attend Machias Memorial.

Students from Union 102 towns other than Machias can choose between Machias Memorial and Washington Academy, a private high school in East Machias.

Competition between the two schools for tuition students has increased as the number of potential students has declined because of Washington County’s loss of its under-18 population.

This year, there are 47 eighth-graders in Union 102 and some are expected to choose Washington Academy, leaving Machias Memorial with the smallest freshman class in its history.

The current enrollment is 178 students, approximately 50 of which will be graduated this year, Atwood said.

Nor is Washington Academy in good shape in terms of incoming freshman. SAD 77, which traditionally sends its high school students to Washington Academy, has 45 eighth-graders. Even if the academy attracts students from Union 102, its freshman class will be the smallest in recent history.

Current enrollment at Washington Academy is 255 students.

But closing a school because it is small is not the answer, according to Atwood and teacher Kenneth Johnson, a representative of staff at Machias Memorial High School.

Both Atwood and Johnson wrote letters to the editor Thursday, urging Machias residents to come out in support of the high school.

Machias’ small teacher-to-student ratio, advanced placement classes, vocational education programs and experienced faculty give students a quality education, they say. There are 19 staff members at Machias Memorial High School.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. April 23 at the high school.