BUCKFIELD – SAD 39 officials are counting on their neighbors to the east to help them comply with the state school consolidation law.

“Any conversation would be positive now,” SAD 39 Superintendent Rick Colpitts said Monday of attempts to merge with another district.

Rebuffed by SAD 17 only two weeks ago, and others previously, SAD 39 officials are turning to SAD 52, which includes students from Greene, Leeds and Turner, as perhaps their last hope for consolidation.

“It’s frustrating to me, but I have an understanding of the other side,” Colpitts said, referring to those districts that would be adversely impacted financially by joining SAD 39.

Officials from the small school district comprised of students from Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner have been in contact with every school district geographically contiguous to their own: Union 29, which is Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland; SAD 21, which is Dixfield, Peru, Carthage and Canton; SAD 44, which is Bethel, Andover, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock; and SAD 43, which is Rumford, Roxbury, Mexico and Byron.

One by one, those districts have fallen by the wayside, usually because it was a bad deal financially. Initial reviews indicate that SAD 52, however, would not be badly affected financially, Colpitts said.

Department of Education Commissioner Susan Gendron, who has called herself the “broker” in SAD 39’s attempt to find a partner, met with Colpitts on Friday. She is attempting to get SAD 52 and SAD 39 officials together for talks just as she did with SAD 17 officials.

Gendron is scheduled to meet with the SAD 52 board Thursday night to try to persuade it to open dialog with the Buckfield system.

Colpitts said officials from both districts had met once during the initial phases of the consolidation process and SAD 52 officials appeared to be interested in discussing consolidation early on, but SAD 39 turned to SAD 17 at that time.

“It didn’t progress for the same reason as SAD 17. It was just large enough to file an alternative plan,” Colpitts said.

He said the two districts have similar programs and philosophies and would make a good match but like SAD 17, SAD 52’s first choice is to remain alone and file an alternative plan.

It is clear, Colpitts said, that a plan will probably not be ready by the Dec. 1 deadline, but he is thankful for an conversation at this point.