AUBURN – The Auburn school system has scrapped the idea of consolidating with SAD 52, Union 29 or any other smaller school system. Officials say a merger would cost Auburn taxpayers “a staggering amount” of money.

“In essence, it would be a wonderful bonus for SAD 52,” interim Superintendent Tom Morrill told the School Committee Wednesday. “It would be like handing them a check for $478,615.”

Under a new state law, school systems with less than 2,500 students must consolidate with other school systems or face financial penalty. The goal: create larger school systems that can save money on administration, transportation and other expenses.

Although Auburn has nearly 3,500 students and doesn’t have to merge, it began talking consolidation with the Turner area’s SAD 52 and the Poland region’s Union 29 earlier this summer. But when a consolidation subcommittee ran the numbers recently, they realized the smaller school systems would save money at the expense of Auburn, a large community with a higher property valuation.

A merger with SAD 52 would cost Auburn nearly $480,000, Morrill said. A merger with Union 29, nearly $1.5 million.

“For larger school systems there’s no incentive. There’s actually a disincentive,” Morrill said.

On the subcommittee’s recommendation, the School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to submit a letter of intent to the Department of Education, telling state officials that Auburn will not be merging with anyone.

“As an Auburn citizen, I would not condone this (a merger) in any way, shape or form,” School Committee member Ross Leavitt said just before the vote.

Because Auburn has more than 2,500 students, it does not have to merge with a smaller system, but it will still have to show the state that it’s saving money – the goal of the new consolidation law. By December, Auburn must present the state Department of Education with a detailed plan to save 50 percent on administrative spending and 5 percent each on transportation, operation/maintenance and special education spending.

Auburn isn’t the only large school system staying single. In July, Lewiston announced that it would forgo consolidation after Auburn, Sabattus, Turner, Lisbon and other communities said they didn’t want to merge with it. Lewiston has about 4,700 students. And SAD 17 in Oxford announced this week that it will not merge with smaller districts because it would be too costly.