FARMINGTON – SAD 9 directors voted Tuesday night to submit an incomplete school reorganization plan to the state. It’s due Saturday, Dec. 1.

The plan, which proposes the consolidation of SADs 9 and 58, Coplin and Highland plantations, has been formulated by a Regional Planning Committee made of community and school board members from each region. It will be reviewed by the Department of Education and returned for completion.

While directors knew they needed to submit some sort of plan in order to comply with state law, many had issues with the plan in its current state. In particular, several directors took exception to the portion that stipulated that the school board under the new system would consist of 25 members and require a 60 percent majority to carry a motion. They also worried that even though the plan is incomplete, once sections are approved by the Commissioner of Education they would be difficult to change since the plan would go back to the committee and be voted on by the public and would not require board approval.

“My concern is that once it’s in print it’s like concrete,” said Robert Pullo of Wilton. “A 25-member board and a 60 percent majority really ties the hands of the board.”

Neil Stinneford of Weld echoed Pullo’s statements and questioned the integrity of the plan’s formulation in a statement.

“I believe this plan is fundamentally flawed,” he said.

Stinneford said he felt mistrust from SAD 58, and that SAD 9 had made too many concessions to accommodate smaller communities.

“It has been said that we must submit a plan to comply with the law,” he said, adding, “I cannot do that.”

Jo Josephson of Temple disagreed with Stinneford and Pullo.

“We developed great trust and (working with the other districts) was a positive experience,” she said.

SAD 58, deemed by the state a high performing/highly efficient school, may be eligible for an exemption from consolidation, depending on whether or not the state does indeed require a minimum of 1,200 students for a school system.

It has applied for an efficiency audit from the state to determine eligibility.

“It’s their ace in the hole,” said Superintendent Michael Cormier, “I don’t think you can blame them for wanting to keep their ace in the hole.”

In the end, directors voted 8-4 to submit the plan.

Once it is completed it will be voted on by each community involved, requiring a majority from each school district to pass.

The SAD 9 Board of Directors will meet again at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Mount Blue High School library.