LIVERMORE FALLS – Even if a community does not want to consolidate, the penalties are so severe it would most likely be pushed to consolidate anyway.

SAD 36 Superintendent Terry Despres told school directors Thursday that penalty would add up to more than $1 million for Livermore and Livermore Falls. Plus, if it cannot be negotiated during consolidation talks, taxpayers in each town would also have to continue paying the debt of the new elementary school in Livermore. Though the school would most likely be used in a new regional school unit, taxpayers in Livermore and Livermore Falls will pay the debt because they agreed to build a new school addition in Livermore without state-approved debt. Residents decided to fund the school on their own.

Despres told directors to read carefully the final education document that came out of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee Thursday.

It is attached to a larger package, the state budget, which will go before the House of Representatives and Senate for discussion beginning Monday.

Despres, who stressed he favored consolidation, said the document does not change the cost-sharing formula and does not provide necessary tools for school systems to work out disparities in financials. SAD 36, a high receiver of state education aid, would lose state money and a town with a high state valuation, such as Jay, would pick up more of the cost.

“We have not talked in Augusta about kids,” Despres said. “It’s not about kids, it’s about the (state) budget.”

The consolidations are expected to represent $36.5 million in savings to the state, Despres said, but while it saves the state money, it would put the property tax debate on the local taxpayers level to fund education.

The state document does not answer the hard questions, he said.

The education plan sets guidelines for establishing a new regional board and gives options on divvying up the apportionment of votes based on one person, one vote.

Each town would have to have at least one voting member on the board.

If SAD 36 joined Jay, as the state map outlines, though nothing is set between the three towns, Jay would have 40 percent of the vote on the board and 60 percent would be divided between Livermore and Livermore Falls, Despres said, based on enrollment numbers.

Officials representing Livermore and Livermore Falls would each be on their own to consider what’s best for their students and community.

Collective bargaining is another situation where Despres said he sees labor disputes looming because the regional school unit would continue to recognize all bargaining agents, with all collective bargaining agreements to continue until their term expires unless bargaining agent and school board mutually agrees otherwise.

There could be several bargaining groups doing the same work at different pay, Despres said.

The governor’s initial proposal was to reduce superintendents to save administration costs but under the plan to go before legislators, it states the contracts between the superintendents and school administrative units within the regional school unit are transferred to the regional school unit board of directors. That board would determine the superintendents’ duties with the regional school unit.

Another issue is closing of schools, Despres said.

The state says the plan would not close schools but if two-thirds of the new regional board vote to close a school and if the municipality where the school is located votes not to close it, that municipality is responsible for paying what the savings would be if the school was closed.

And in the case of Livermore and Livermore Falls, they would also pay for the debt of that school construction, Despres added.