County voters say no to consolidation

FORT KENT – It’s back to the drawing board for some Aroostook County school boards after voters rejected school administration consolidation plans in referendums in the St. John Valley and the Presque Isle and Houlton areas.

Voters in SAD 10 (Allagash), SAD 27 (Eagle Lake, Fort Kent, New Canada, St. Francis, St. John Plantation, Wallagrass, Winterville), SAD 33 (Frenchville, St. Agatha), SAD 24 (Cyr Plantation, Hamlin, Van Buren), and Madawaska on Tuesday turned down the plan for a St. John Valley alternative organizational structure.

The measure went down 108-38 in SAD 10; 1,844 to 1,712 in SAD 27; 696-407 in SAD 33; and 1,095-195 in SAD 24. Only Madawaska voted in favor, 1,229 to 1,036.

“My sense is people do not want to give up local control,” said Patrick O’Neill, SAD 27 superintendent, on Wednesday.

Unofficial tallies compiled Wednesday by staff at the superintendent’s office in SAD 1 indicated voters in that district (Presque Isle, Castle Hill, Chapman, Mapleton, Westfield), and SAD 32 (Ashland, Garfield Plantation, Masardis, Oxbow Plantation, Portage Lake) and Nashville Plantation had failed to approve the plan for a new regional school unit. Each board last week passed a resolution urging voters to oppose the school reorganization referendum question.

A plan to form a Tri-County Regional School Unit among SAD 29 in Houlton, SAD 70 in Hodgdon, SAD 14 in Danforth, Community School District 9 in Dyer Brook, and the municipal units of Hersey, Moro Plantation, Orient and Bancroft also was rejected by voters, the state Department of Education reported.

If passed, the reorganization plans would have combined the school districts under centralized administrations.

jbayly@bangordailynews.net