DIXFIELD – Near the end of Monday night’s SAD 21 School Board meeting, directors tried to determine who would be on new board for the merged SAD 21.

Last week, a majority of voters in SAD 21’s towns of Canton, Carthage and Dixfield overwhelmingly approved merging with the town of Peru and Peru School.

Now, SAD 21 is tasked with finding directors to sit on the new SAD 21 School Board with Peru’s four directors.

Chairwoman Barbara Chow sought to have one director from each town resign or suggested that lots would be drawn to reach the needed number.

Carthage Director William Skidgell has already said he would not seek a seat on the new board.

At Monday night’s meeting, Canton Director Mary Dube volunteered to resign.

But before Chow could pose the question to Dixfield directors, Canton Director Ben McCollister said the current board could not ask someone to resign.

“This is not a matter for this meeting to decide. It is a matter for the town fathers to decide, because we are officers of the towns,” McCollister said.

That presented a problem since SAD 21’s current board can’t wait a month for elections to be held to determine the issue.

Dixfield Director Sonya Fuller said she would resign so as not to be a member of the new SAD 21 School Board.

But when McCollister persisted with his argument, the board agreed to seek legal advice from the district’s attorney, before deciding their course of action.
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