RUMFORD – When the SAD 43 board meets Monday, much of the conversation will center around regional planning and which neighboring districts may join with the district for administrative purposes.

All districts are required under state directive to devise a plan by Dec. 1, outlining which districts they may partner with.

On Aug. 9, the superintendents and board chairmen and chairwomen from SADs 43, 44, 21 and 39 will sit down and discuss the possibilities.

SAD 43 Superintendent Jim Hodgkin will lead a discussion at Monday’s board meeting about what may happen at the Aug. 9 meeting.

In other matters, the board will act on whether to share SAD 43’s director of special services, Paula Leavitt, with neighboring SAD 44 in Bethel. If the board agrees, she will devote 20 percent of her time to SAD 44, and the remainder to SAD 43. A clause in the potential agreement would allow termination of the arrangement at any time if the plan isn’t working.

The proposed sharing of SAD 43’s special education director is similar to an arrangement the two districts have with the food service director, Jeanne LaPointe. She works one day a week in SAD 44 and the rest in SAD 43.

SAD 43 had previously shared its social worker with neighboring SAD 21, but the arrangement was terminated because SAD 43 found that it needed a full-time social worker, Hodgkin said.

Another agenda item asks for action on whether to raise the cost of lunches for students in all district schools. As proposed, elementary children would pay $1.50 per meal, up from $1.25; middle school, $1.75, from $1.50, and high school students, $2 up from $1.75, at the beginning of the new school year. Lunch prices for adults will remain at $3.

Business manager Paul Puiia said the higher prices is needed to meet higher expenses in the nutrition program.

Other action items include appointments to the positions of grade one teacher at Rumford Elementary School, kindergarten teacher at Meroby Elementary School, and several coaching positions.

Mountain Valley High School Principal Matt Gilbert and Tom Sinclair, director of buildings, grounds and transportation, will provide updates on summer projects.