Four districts are looking to cut costs through cooperation.
By Eileen M. Adams
Staff Writer

RUMFORD – Cooperation may net better services for students and reduce school district operating costs. And besides, it’s the neighborly thing to do.

The superintendents of the four districts in the region and the director of the vocational school that serves all of them, met this week to begin looking for ways SADs 21, 43 and 44, and Peru can work together.

“Maybe a compact of schools,” mused SAD 43 Superintendent Jim Hodgkin.

The group met earlier in the week with the special education directors who serve two of the districts to learn what steps could be taken to provide a broader range of services while perhaps lowering costs.

A number of ideas were tossed around, including the possibility of establishing a day treatment program for special needs children. Right now, most students requiring that level of services are sent to centers in Wilton or Lewiston.

“This could keep kids closer to home,” said Hodgkin.

Of the four school districts, SAD 43 sends the highest number of special needs students out of the district for education. It is also the largest district, with about 1,600 students. The four districts educate a total of about 3,600 children.

Sharing specialists

The administrators are also thinking about sharing hard-to-find specialists such as occupational, physical and speech therapists. Many of these services are contracted out at higher costs.

Superintendents Hodgkin, David Murphy of SAD 44, Tom Ward of SAD 21 and John Turner of Peru, along with Region 9 School of Applied Technology Director Deborah Guimont, plan to continue their efforts by meeting with each district’s business managers, transportation directors, and buildings and grounds directors next month.

SAD 21, SAD 44 and Peru have often worked together in the past to get better prices for such things as paper, supplies and fuel, sometimes with districts outside of the River Valley area. But Murphy is thinking that the number of goods that could be purchased in greater quantities – and therefore at lower costs – could expand to cafeteria materials, bus parts, buses and even the services of an electrician.

SAD 43 joined with the neighboring districts for the purchase of insurance last year. This time, the administration plans to work with the neighboring districts on other purchases and services as well.

“We’re all new and willing to work together,” said Murphy.

Ward sees the meetings as a great opportunity to lead the way for the rest of the state, a feeling shared by Murphy and Hodgkin.

“By doing this together, we could provide a blueprint,” said Murphy.

Better, not bigger

Hodgkin added that by increasing the cooperative efforts as much as possible, the area may prevent the potential of merging districts.

“We don’t need to be bigger,” he said.

Gov. John Baldacci’s office has been pushing toward more regionalization in school districts and communities.

“With the push from the governor’s office, they would support these efforts,” said Ward.

John Turner, whose small Peru school system serves grades kindergarten through eight, agrees that cooperation is the only way to go.

“It cuts the costs for everyone and provides additional services,” he said.

Although Region 9 is small and uses fewer goods and services than the larger districts, Guimont said working together may have some other benefits.

“This gets us into a new way of thinking and positions us for regional practices,” she said.

The group of superintendents hopes to have a formal plan for sharing services and cooperative purchasing efforts completed by the end of the school year.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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