BELFAST – Communities making up SAD 34 and SAD 56 will have an opportunity to learn about the plan to consolidate the two school districts during a series of informal meetings this month.

SAD 34 Superintendent of Schools Bruce Mailloux said the districts’ regional planning committee that formulated the consolidation plan conducted meetings last month that provide details of the proposal.

Mailloux said it was decided to also hold informal meetings in each of the member communities of the two districts to alleviate residents’ concerns about the plan.

“We [Mailloux and SAD 56 interim Superintendent Ray Freve] have had phone calls and have run into people on the street or at the market and it’s clear there are some that still have a lot of concerns about consolidation,” Mailloux said Thursday. “There are many questions and false rumors being circulated about and these meetings will give people an opportunity to learn what it’s all about. I think there are an awful lot of people out there who are not very informed about consolidation.”

The consolidation question will be decided by referendum on Tuesday, Nov. 4. If approved, the two districts will merge and be governed by a single school board with weighted representation based on the population of the individual communities.

The consolidation referendum will pass if a majority of voters in the two districts cast ballots in favor of the plan. A single community that votes against consolidation would not derail the process, he said. Under the state school consolidation law, the new district’s governing board and policies must be up and running by June 30, 2009.

Mailloux said consolidation would streamline the management of the new district but would not affect programs. He said that while SAD 56 or SAD 34 would no longer exist in name, the traditions of its schools would remain.

“Searsport District High School is still going to be there,” he said. “It’s still going to be blue and white and its still going to have all its teams and traditions.”

Mailloux added that a larger school district would have a positive effect on educational matters. He noted that when administrators from both districts met earlier this week, they agreed that having a larger group of educators would result in more experiences to share, more ideas available to find creative solutions to student needs, and that a larger pool meant better opportunities for professional development.

He said the larger district would find ways to expand student offerings in cases where neither district could justify the cost alone. Duplication of administrative work would be eliminated, instruction could be shared, itinerant teachers that move from school to school within a district could expand their offerings, and having a larger district opens the door to larger grants.

“We are in some tough financial times and it looks to be tougher in the foreseeable future,” SAD 34 curriculum coordinator John McDonald said. “With a large group of professional educators, we have more expertise to draw from in the face of dwindling financial resources.”

The informational meetings will take place at 7 p.m. at the following locations:

. Swanville, Tuesday, Oct. 7, Nickerson School.

. Searsmont, Wednesday, Oct. 15, Ames Elementary School.

. Belfast, Monday, Oct. 20, Troy Howard Middle School.

. Northport, Tuesday, Oct. 21, Edna Drinkwater School.

. Frankfort-Stockton Springs, Monday, Oct. 27, Frankfort Elementary School.

. Belmont-Morrill, Wednesday, Oct. 29, Weymouth Elementary School.

. Searsport, Thursday, Oct. 30, Searsport District High School.

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

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