E. Millinocket halts school consolidation

EAST MILLINOCKET – Schenck High School students won’t be traveling 10 miles up the road to Stearns High School in Millinocket next year.

The issue of a high school tuition contract between East Millinocket and Millinocket schools won’t be decided by East Millinocket voters at the April 23 special town meeting as planned initially.

Members of the East Millinocket school board this week voted to remove the high school tuition proposal from the special town meeting after learning about an agreement selectmen signed with Brascan, the company buying bankrupt Great Northern Paper Inc. School officials participated in the meeting with selectmen and Rosaire Pelletier, a Fraser Papers official representing Brascan.

Part of the agreement asks town and school officials to study consolidation of all school and municipal services with the towns of Medway and Millinocket in the next six months and to implement plans that can produce savings by July 2004.

School officials said the agreement took the pressure off and would allow the community time to thoroughly study consolidation of services with neighboring towns without being rushed to make decisions. In recent meetings many residents have expressed concern about the school board rushing to make important decisions without having all of the facts. “We have listened,” said Don Hendsbee, school board chairman.

Hendsbee and other school officials said Brascan is not trying to dictate policy or tell the towns and schools how to run their operations, but is asking officials to look for ways to trim taxes.

Pelletier agreed. He said the company wants to be a good corporate citizen and wants to build good relationships with the communities. “We have never been at war with a community,” said Pelletier. He said the company’s intent is to have the communities work together to find the best solution for reducing expenses. “It is up to them to come to the best solution,” said Pelletier. “We need to work with the communities to make sure they are cost-effective and we have to work with employees and respect their rights because they all will contribute to the success of the company.”

Later, school officials met with selectmen to report the results of their meeting.

School officials told selectmen School Union 113 (East Millinocket, Medway and Woodville) will meet on April 28 to discuss sharing an interim superintendent with Millinocket next year. He said area schools also have a chance to share services next year.

Selectmen on Tuesday approved items for the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, special town meeting at the high school.

A public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on a proposed $250,000 Community Development Block Grant loan to renovate the town’s “shell” or “spec” building located in the industrial park. Residents will vote on the grant-loan proposal during the special town meeting.

Also to be considered is a proposal to spend $100,000 from the town’s surplus to make repairs to the cemetery.

Residents will consider authorizing selectmen to seek a $15,000 regional grant with Millinocket. The grant money would be used to hire a moderator to help facilitate the three area towns’ study to consolidate municipal and school services.