STRONG – The regional planning committee for Western Mountains school will have recommendations to consider on today.

The planning committee already voted 32-2 to approve a 25-member school board to oversee combined school systems serving towns in SADs 9 and 58, and Coplin and Highland plantations.

School systems around the state are expected to have a plan, or a partial plan, submitted to the Maine Department of Education for approval by Dec. 1 to comply with the school reorganization law.

The panel also decided 24-9 that the new board will require a 60 percent majority vote to approve motions and unanimously agreed that the new regional school unit be implemented July 1, 2009. The new central office is to be located as near to the district’s geographical center as feasible.

Among recommendations the planning committee will hear at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Strong Elementary School are the Contracts Committee’s recommendations that the planning committee’s reorganization plan contain a provision that as soon as the new school board members are elected, they be empowered to hire a superintendent and prepare and negotiate personnel employee contracts to begin July 1, 2009.

The Curriculum Committee will recommend that administration and faculty of Mt. Abram and Mt. Blue high schools form a single group of representatives from each of their departments within the first year of consolidation to study each school’s course offerings, resources and educational philosophies for the following purposes:

• Determine the similarities and differences that contribute to the uniqueness of each school’s course offerings to gain an appreciation of and learn from the other.

• Provide student access to select courses at the other high school, especially in technology, language, music and advanced placement courses, and increase opportunities for participating Foster Regional Applied Technology Center.

• Provide students with the opportunity to transfer to the other high school for as little as one year or as long as four years.

• Provide the basis for a study of the possible value of creating two specialty high schools, for example arts and technology.

• Provide the basis for determining the professional development needs of the faculty to implement the consolidation.

Committee members are also recommending that Mt. Blue High School revisit the issue of accreditation and set a goal of providing all students with individual laptops.