JAY – Members of the regional planning committee to consolidate the Jay and SAD 36 school systems estimate $364,315 in savings the first two years, if voters approve the merger.

The committee, which includes representatives from Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls, made the adjustments to the plan required by the state, including a savings estimate, during a meeting Thursday.

Members did not want to give voters an inaccurate figure so decided that they could not estimate any actual savings in the first two years of the plan because they don’t believe there will be any savings until year three, they said.

Instead, the committee put in the amount that the school systems would avoid through penalties the state has threatened to assess if they do not deliver a consolidation plan to the voters for approval.

The savings for the first two years is $364,315 each year, which is $201,192 for Jay and $163,123 for SAD 36, Jay Superintendent Robert Wall said Friday.

During year three, SAD 36 Superintendent Terry Despres estimated there would be $318,000 in savings that includes reorganization of central office staff, staff attrition and going from two superintendents to one.

Wall said combining the two systems will likely slow budget increases during the first years and allow the schools to maintain the quality of thier programs. “It is going to slow it, not reverse it,” Wall said.

All of the penalty numbers are subject to change, the superintendents said.

Residents in the three towns will have a chance to vote on the consolidation plan during town-by-town referendums Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Jay is holding a public hearing on the proposal at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in the Jay Middle School cafeteria. They are expected to hold other informational meetings prior to the vote. Jay resident Al Landry said he would video tape the Dec. 11 hearing and others if requested by the local cable access channel.

SAD 36 will plan its hearing after the holidays and will hold informational meetings in both communities, Despres said.

Both districts plan to put up a question and answer forum on the plan on school Web sites. SAD 36’s Web site is www.sad36.org and Jay’s is http://www.jay.k12.me.us/.