RUMFORD – Representatives of the Bethel and Rangeley school systems who make up the Reorganizational Planning Committee agreed last week to bring all school property under a new regional school unit if the two decide to merge.

During the two school systems’ weekly Thursday night meeting at Mountain Valley High School, SAD 44 Superintendent David Murphy said the agreement means Telstar Regional Middle and High School, Andover Elementary School, Crescent Park Elementary School, Woodstock Elementary School and the Rangeley school, which houses grades kindergarten through grade 12, would fall under the agreement.

Decisions on how to handle debt will be discussed at the next meeting.

The 20 or so representatives at last week’s meeting also agreed to reconsider the idea of forming local school committees when they meet on Oct. 30.

At an earlier meeting this month, a vote of 12-8 approved looking into that possibility three years after a successful merger. At that time, some from the Rangeley area were concerned that all local control would be lost if a 20-member regional school unit board was the sole governing body.

The committee must complete its reorganizational plan and submit it to the state’s Department of Education by mid-November. Voters of the towns and plantations in the two systems will decide whether to approve the plan by the end of January.

The new regional school unit would educate about 1,000 students.

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