SAD 29 takes broad approach to reorganization

HOULTON – Many school districts remain in the early stages of deciding how to fit into the state’s education reorganization initiative that was signed into law in June.

On Tuesday evening, SAD 29’s board voted to take the first steps necessary to comply with the edict, which calls for restructuring the state’s current 152 school administrative systems into 80.

By law, all school systems in the state must reorganize into larger, more efficient units or reorganize administrative structures to reduce costs. By Aug. 31, each school unit must file a notice with Education Commissioner Susan Gendron of its intent to start planning and negotiating with other schools to reorganize into a larger unit or file an alternative plan to reduce costs within their own unit.

The DOE has recommended that SAD 29 join with SAD 25 in Stacyville, SAD 70 in Hodgdon, SAD 14 in Danforth, and CSD 9 in Dyer Brook to form what would be known as Regional School Unit 4. It would consist of 27 towns.

Superintendent Steve Fitzpatrick told the board Tuesday evening that districts can file more than one notice of intent, and the board voted to authorize Fitzpatrick to send three such notices to the DOE. One letter will let the DOE know that SAD 29 will be talking about partnering with the other four districts in the proposed RSU 4.

A second will state that officials in SAD 29 also will be talking with officials from SAD 42 in Mars Hill and the Bridgewater School Department. Since Gehrig Johnson, the superintendent of SAD 1 in Presque Isle, also provides superintendent services for Bridgewater, he will be involved in the discussion process.

The third notice of intent, Fitzpatrick said, will let the DOE know that “if all else fails,” SAD 29 could consider an alternative plan.

Once the commissioner reviews the notices of intent and approves or denies them, school officials will have until Dec. 1 to file their reorganization or alternative plans.

Under the law, communities are asked to contemplate forming an RSU of at least 2,500 students and containing at least one publicly funded high school. In cases where forming a 2,500-student unit is impractical, the department will allow units of 1,200 students. Island and tribal schools will not be subject to the minimum size requirement.

At this point, SAD 29 has approximately 1,300 students, which the DOE has said is an allowable, but not preferable, unit.

On a local level, reorganization planning committees must be formed to determine the structure of the proposed RSU.

The RSUs will be governed by a regional school board, and representation on the board will be determined by local communities as part of the reorganization planning process.

The size and composition of the new school board and its voting method will be set by the planning committees. School budgets must be approved by the voters within the regional unit.

The reorganization effort is expected to be completed by July 2009.

Fitzpatrick said Tuesday evening that he felt filing the three notices was the best option for now.

“A great deal of work is needed before a final decision is made,” he said. “We want to keep all of our options open.”