WESTBROOK – The majority of Maine’s school districts are meeting a state mandate to form new, larger districts, state education Commissioner Susan Gendron said Thursday.

Under the Department of Education’s analysis of the plans, the number of school districts in Maine would shrink from the current 290 to about 75, Gendron said during a news conference at Westbrook High School.

Gendron said she was “exceptionally pleased” with how school officials are working to cut administration. She estimates the consolidation would save Maine taxpayers $120 million by 2011.

Legislation will be proposed next year to ensure that no property taxpayers pay more as a result of one district with high property valuation merging with another that has lower.

Locally, school districts whose plans meet the law are Lewiston, Auburn, Winthrop, Topsham, Bethel, Gray, Jay and Lisbon. Lewiston and Auburn will each remain stand-alone school departments because each has a student population well above the district minimum of 2,500.

Local school units whose plans didn’t meet the law include SAD 39 in Buckfield, Union 29 (Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls), and the towns of Wales, Sabattus and Litchfield, which form School Union 44. Those districts will have to go back and do more work, Gendron said, adding that her department will help.

In a letter to Susan Hodgdon, superintendent for Wales, Litchfield and Sabattus schools, Gendron said she rejected their plan because the three communities’ enrollment does not meet the minimum 2,500, and because they have not demonstrated “due diligence” in working at consolidating.

Union 29’s plan was rejected because the towns lack the minimum number of students, Gendron said. In a letter to SAD 39 Superintendent Richard Colpitts, Gendron said his plan did not meet the law and encouraged him to continue exploring consolidation with SAD 17 in Paris or SAD 52 in Turner.

Some communities filed multiple plans. It was unclear which plans were rejected. Department of Education officials were not available to address specific proposals.

School districts whose plans meet the law but need more work include SAD 52 in Turner, SAD 9 in Farmington, Union 17 in Rangeley, and SAD 17 in Oxford. Gendron asked them to make their plans more sustainable since Maine’s student population is expected to further decline.

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