Study: Schools should form SAD Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway advised to consolidate

MILLINOCKET – The conclusion of a study on area school consolidation recommends that East Millinocket, Medway and Millinocket form a school administrative district, with Woodville continuing to tuition its students to schools.

The latest recommendation, received by Katahdin area school officials at a meeting Thursday night, mirrors one offered in another study 14 years ago.

Members of the area study co.mmittee on Thursday received a report prepared by Dr. Walter McIntire of Portland, an education consultant, and Dale Doughty, one of three people who evaluates school construction applications for the Department of Education.

Administrators of the three schools plan to come up with a model for a three-town SAD next month. Members of the four school boards will meet to review the model in late August.

“I suggest that over the next months the school and municipal authorities undertake a detailed study of implementing a dramatic reorganization of their schools,” McIntire said in the report.

With declining populations and student enrollments, the consultants said reorganizing into a SAD would provide better use of school facilities and would save about $450,000, which could be used to help enhance educational opportunities for children.

Stearns High School in Millinocket would serve as the area high school, according to the study. Schenck High School in East Millinocket would be the area middle school.

Millinocket’s Granite Street School would continue to serve elementary pupils there. The Medway Middle School would serve as an elementary school for Medway and East Millinocket pupils. Officials said some additional classrooms need to be added to the school, or initially some of the newer sections of the Opal Myrick School in East Millinocket could be used as a kindergarten center offering an all-day program and perhaps an early childhood program for 4-year-olds.

The consultants said five or six teaching positions, superintendent, principal, special education and athletic director positions could be eliminated. Fewer secretaries and central office staff would be needed, and board expenses could be reduced.

McIntire said student enrollments in the four towns are projected to drop by another 438 in the next eight years, to 1,090. Millinocket Superintendent Brent Colbry said it would mean the total enrollment of the four towns would be slightly higher than Millinocket’s is today.

McIntire said the three towns with schools have excellent school facilities with the exception of the Opal Myrick School. Both Stearns and Schenck, however, are underused.

The consultant said the academic programs at both high schools were similar. He said a new foreign language could be added and encouraged the boards to consider enhancing math, science, technology and fine arts offerings. By consolidating, he said, Medway and East Millinocket students would have better access to the vocational programs offered at Stearns.

Doughty said he was shocked in comparing the per pupil costs at Schenck with the nonresident tuition rate, which translates into East Millinocket subsidizing each nonresident tuition student by $1,856. After the meeting, officials said the state sets the average tuition rate and the local board sets the budget.

Sandra MacArthur, School Union 113 superintendent, said if enrollments were going to drop as drastically as reported, area school consolidation may be only a short-term fix. She suggested the towns might need to look at a broader regional school consolidation effort.

Steven Federico, chairman of the Medway board and member of the study committee who could not attend the meeting because of work, later agreed a model should be prepared, but said the area may be thinking too small and may need to broaden its school consolidation efforts.

Matt Polstein of Millinocket said it was important for the boards to take action now and not drag their feet. “Some action is a requirement at this time to avoid a complete disaster not only for our education system but for our communities,” he said. Bruce McLean, the regional development director, agreed.