VAN BUREN – When the state Department of Education put forth its suggestions for model Regional School Units as part of its school consolidation initiative, one possibility included the three towns in SAD 24 joining with SAD 12 and other municipalities to make up RSU 1.

District officials will consider that advice, SAD 24 Superintendent Clayton Belanger said late last week, and will send a notice of intent to Education Commissioner Susan Gendron stating that plan.

The district includes Van Buren, Cyr Plantation and Hamlin in two schools. The other municipalities that could be part of RSU 1 include Grand Isle, Madawaska, Allagash, Eagle Lake, Fort Kent, New Canada, St. Francis, St. John, Wallagrass, Winterville, Frenchville and St. Agatha. The proposed RSU would have approximately 2,514 students and four high schools.

The school consolidation law, which passed with the state budget in June, calls for restructuring the state’s current 152 school administrative systems into 80.

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 of intent with the DOE 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.

Communities are being asked to consider forming RSUs of at least 2,500 students each and contain at least one publicly funded high school. In cases where forming a 2,500-student unit is impractical, the department will allow units of as few as 1,200 students. Island and tribal schools will not be subject to the minimum size requirement.

Once Gendron reviews the notices of intent and approves or denies them, school officials will have until Dec. 15 to file their reorganization or alternative plans.

The reorganization effort is expected to be completed by July 2008.