MECHANIC FALLS – Mechanic Falls school officials took offense at the characterization of being uncooperative and at the idea that Mechanic Falls high school students in Poland may be penalized as a result.

The Poland Regional High School Committee this week put off hearing about a proposal that would provide a laptop computer for each high school student, including those from Mechanic Falls and Minot.

The decision to postpone the laptop discussion came on the heels of Mechanic Falls turning down a request to alter the funding and ownership agreement for the School Union 29 administrative office being built in Poland.

“In response to Mechanic Falls just saying no, the concept of Poland paying extra for Mechanic Falls students became difficult to sell,” said Poland School Committee Chairman Ike Levine. “At the first test of the three towns working together, Mechanic Falls said, Tough.'”

The laptop proposal, unrelated to the office building project, came about when Poland declined the state’s offer to participate in a laptop rental program for high schools and afterward looked into providing its own computers, Levine said.

High school Principal Derek Pierce never got the chance to present his laptop proposal after Levine received confirmation from Joyce Crane, sitting in for Poland high school committee member David Griffiths on Wednesday, on the Mechanic Falls decision.

“Ike Levine is a bully,” said Griffiths after returning from a business trip and learning the results of this week’s meeting. “We, as a union, need to do everything we can to get along. Ike is the most divisive public official I’ve ever worked with.”

Terri Arsenault, chairman for the Mechanic Falls School Committee, said that Mechanic Falls had no choice but to say no, given this year’s school program and staff cuts and increase in property taxes.

“We’re all for sharing costs, and we want to be part of a union,” said Arsenault. “I think Ike’s comments were absolutely unfair, and he should make a public apology at the next meeting.”

Arsenault referred to comments made by Levine at Wednesday’s Poland high school committee meeting.

The original agreement called for all three towns to pay prorated shares of a $250,000 office project. The low bid this summer came in at $387,409, which included contingencies that may or may not be used.

The agreement also spelled out how much of the new building each town would own once the bonded debt was retired after 10 years. Based on ownership portions, ongoing maintenance costs were divided between the three towns.

While Minot school officials responded just days before the meeting that its town could not contribute any more money now because its budget was already approved, and in effect, they agreed to revisit the ownership agreement to reflect Poland’s additional funding.

Mechanic Falls’ committee recently voted unanimously that they could not pay additional money for the office project, and that they did not want to change the original interlocal agreement.

“We had gone to town meeting, and that was the agreement,” said Arsenault. “It was purely a financial decision.”

Crane, who sat in the hot seat Wednesday, said she did not take the comments personally, nor did she consider it an issue.

“You can’t be on a school board and take these kinds of things personally,” she said. “These things have a way of working themselves out.”

Griffiths said he admired Crane for keeping her temper and apologized to her for putting her in an uncomfortable situation.

Peter Bolduc, a Poland high school committee member from Poland, suggested that the chairs of all committees work with the superintendent to resolve the issue.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just sit down with Mechanic Falls,” said Bolduc at the meeting. “Let’s seek first to understand and to be understood.”