RANGELEY — Voters here and in several plantations approved a school consolidation plan by a combined 698-238 vote Tuesday. The new school system will replace Union 37 as of July 1, 2010.

Four of the communities in Franklin and Oxford counties that make up Union 37 approved the reorganization plan while two rejected it.

Unofficial voting counts that favored the plan were Rangeley, 446-99, Dallas Plantation, 149-37, Sandy River Plantation, 48-21 and Magalloway, 12-2. Opposing votes were Rangeley Plantation, 39-60 and Lincoln Plantation, 4-19. Only Rangeley had not reported results as of late Tuesday.

Union 37 Superintendent Brian Foster said he will check with the Maine Department of Education to see if the number of board members and the weighted votes based on a population formula will change since two of the communities opted out of the plan.

The proposed plan called for a 13-member board with representation from each community on it. Rangeley was to have five members; Dallas Plantation, Sandy River and Rangeley Plantation would have had two members each, and Lincoln and Magalloway would have one member each.

Foster said once he finds out the number of board members, he will work with town clerks in the communities that approved the plan to set up elections. The election of the new board’s members would take place in January.

The board members of the new district will determine if they will accept students from nonmember towns.

The towns that did not vote for the plan will be required to hire a superintendent and do all the work of a district, including providing student transportation and continue with its own school board.

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