CAMDEN – A 20-person committee preparing a consolidation plan for the local school districts plans to share its work at a public hearing Wednesday at the regional high school.

The work on a consolidation plan is required by state law. The committee is reviewing, among many details, the liabilities and assets of Five Town Community School District’s communities of Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport and preparing initial recommendations about how the new district under consolidation will be organized and operated.

How the new district’s budget will be formed and how its board will govern are among the questions to be explored at the reorganization planning committee’s public hearing set for 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, at Camden Hills Regional High School.

The state mandates that draft plans be sent to Maine Commissioner of Education Susan Gendron by Dec. 1.

“As with most plans across the state, ours will not be a final plan, as it is impossible to address all required components of the planning in such a short time,” said Five Town CSD Assistant Superintendent and Committee Chairman Michael Weatherwax in a news release. “The committee hopes to have a final plan developed and sent to the commissioner by March 2008.”

The committee has prepared a list of frequently asked questions about the school consolidation and the committee’s work to this point. Additional questions are encouraged and may be addressed to Weatherwax at Michaelweatherwax@fivetowns.net.

The minutes of the committee’s meetings have been posted at the Five Town CSD Web site at www.fivetowns.net/subsites/reorgplancom.

Further information about the statewide consolidation process may be found on the Department of Education’s Web site at www.maine.gov/education/supportingschools/index.html.