Katahdin area students want say on consolidation

By Adam Thompson, Jules Michaud, Michelle Tapley, Taryn R. Beaumont and Jennifer Davis

Schenck High School

Consolidation of School Union 113 and the Millinocket school system is a major issue under study in the Katahdin region. Although it would present great changes in the Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway and Woodville communities, no one is quite sure what those changes would be. The issue is being studied in an exploration subcommittee composed of the two area superintendents and representatives from each school board. No students have been invited to participate in this subcommittee.

Why is consolidation suddenly becoming such an issue for the Katahdin area? First, the economy in the region is unstable, with near total dependency on the paper industry for jobs. Unfortunately, this industry has been in decline and the area has experienced more than 1,500 job losses at the paper mills during the past 15 years. Second, the region has had a severe population decline during the past 10 years. Last, possible cuts in state aid to Maine’s educational systems could have a devastating impact on the region’s ability to continue providing quality education to all students.

Consolidation is not a new topic to the Katahdin region. In the late 1980s, University of Maine officials were hired to study the possibility of combining schools in the area. In addition, 1998’s severe economic problems in School Union 113 almost led to the closing of Schenck High School and the tuitioning of students to neighboring Stearns High School of Millinocket. Since then, consolidation has been talked about at many school board and faculty meetings. However, it has been only in the past few months that serious action has been taken on this topic – unfortunately, without the thoughts and opinions of local youth.

School consolidation is not a novel concept across the state. In fact, one of Maine’s newer high schools, Mountain Valley High School, was formed after the Rumford and Mexico school systems consolidated nearly 10 years ago. Matthew Gilbert, vice principal at the school, said student opinion was essential in the consolidation process.

“The consolidation effort went very smoothly, and students were polled at the very start to get their opinions on the issue. They were also represented on all committees dealing with the consolidation process,” he said.

For students in School Union 113, the lack of participation in consolidation discussions is a concern. They want their voices to be heard, since they will be the ones directly affected by the regional consolidation.

“I think the students need to be given an opportunity to voice their concerns, but it seems that everything is going on without us,” said Sara Daniels, a sophomore at Schenck.

School officials have acknowledged the lack of student involvement.

“I believe that it was simply an oversight that students were excluded from participation in the consolidation subcommittee, as we are in the initial stages looking at school consolidation,” said Sandra MacArthur, superintendent for School Union 113. She added that she would like to see the students become involved in the process as soon as possible.

Paula Sprague, a social studies teacher at Schenck High School, was the first person to give students a chance to voice their opinion. “I attended the first tritown consolidation meeting and felt as though the members weren’t sure of the direction they were going in and that no students were represented. I decided that I would bring this issue to my students to see if they could find a direction,” she said.

Sprague surveyed students at Schenck High School and Medway Middle School to determine how they felt about the issue. An overwhelming majority favored involvement in the consolidation process. She also mentioned that the tritown consolidation meetings are open to the public and students are allowed to attend.

Numerous factors remain to be considered before a decision is made about consolidation. These include such important considerations as: which buildings will be used for what grade levels; how the curriculum will change; and how transportation will be organized to accommodate all students.

Also, students would like to know more about these questions and the drawbacks and benefits of consolidation. Rumors are rampant in the Katahdin region about how and if consolidation will take place, creating tension and uncertainty among many students. For instance, Megan Carey, a Schenck sophomore, says, “All the comments I hear have us going to Stearns, but I want to stay here and graduate from Schenck.”

By 10-to-1, the town of Millinocket has decided, by way of a referendum vote, to study the consolidation issue. East Millinocket will be making the same decision this spring. Medway and Woodville are still undecided about seeking public comment regarding consolidation.

It is obvious that the Katahdin region is starting to be seriously affected by the concept of consolidation, yet many questions are unanswered and more issues must be considered. At this point, limited action has been taken to include the students and to explore how they feel on this topic. The students are undoubtedly the ones to be most affected by this change, and they would like to be involved with this process and be able to express their thoughts.

Will consolidation happen? No one knows for sure, but it is apparent that students in School Union 113 want to be involved and have the opportunity to share their ideas about school consolidation in the Katahdin region.