AUBURN — The move to build a new high school in Auburn was dealt a setback Wednesday as the Maine Department of Education released its priority list for school renovation and construction.
Edward Little was No. 16 on the list, which means 15 projects are ahead of it. Among those are five high schools: Sanford, Nokomis in Newport, Mt. Ararat in Topsham, Morse in Bath and Sumner Memorial in Sullivan.
New high schools typically cost $50 million or more, which could eat up much of the state funding, if any is approved by Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen.
How much money the state will provide for school construction may not be known until late summer, according to the department. The list will help state officials understand the scope of needs, Bowen said.
“When resources become available, we’ll be able to address the most significant needs first,” he said in a prepared statement.
It’s too early to know whether any project on the list will get state funding, said Maine Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin.
“There are no guarantees that No. 1 or 2, or No. 15 to 20, will get funded,” he said. The commissioner will look at the needs, the estimated costs, Maine’s ability to pay, and other needs in education before deciding how many projects to fund, Connerty-Marin said.
Before any project is approved, the state holds an appeals process and the Department of Education puts together concepts for each project, he said.
“The solutions could be an addition, a renovation or a brand-new school,” he said.
If the state approves some funding, schools high on the list are likely to get money. Those lower on the list usually do not because the state’s construction fund runs dry.
Auburn School Committee Chairman David Das said he was not sure what being No. 16 on the list will mean. If Auburn does not secure any state help for a new Edward Little High School, “we have to do something,” Das said. “There is a crying need.”
The high school, built in 1961, has inadequate electrical and heating systems, no auditorium, no kitchen, cafeteria or science labs, Das said. “These are things we do need to address if we don’t get state funding.”
If no state funding is secured, the next step could be to resurrect the Edward Little Building Committee, which would make a recommendation to the School Committee.
That could result in a new high school referendum going to Auburn taxpayers, which could mean any approved construction or renovation would be paid for by local taxpayers, without help from the state.
While looking for more information on what being No. 16 means, Auburn Superintendent Tom Morrill said, “It goes to show what the real need is across the state.”
The other thing to remember, he said, is what Edward Little is all about, the learning that goes on in the school.
“The type of educational offerings that are being delivered, that’s the key in the heart of Edward Little,” Morrill said. “We’ll keep our focus on doing a great job on that.”
The last time Auburn applied for state funding to build a new high school, it was 44th on the list.
“I commend everyone for the hard work they put in to move us up to No. 16,” Morrill said. That included Harriman Associates of Auburn, the Building Committee, the School Committee and students who hosted open houses at the high school to illustrate the need for improvements.
“Everyone pulled together to provide an accurate portrait of the need,” Morrill said. “We’ll have to go back and work with the School Committee and decide what steps we take.”
The last time the state accepted school construction applications was 2004-05. In that year, 22 projects costing a total of $500 million were approved. But any amount of money made available this year is expected to be more modest, Connerty-Marin said.
In the past five years, school construction has grown more expensive, which means the money doesn’t go as far.
Fryeburg, Topsham, Lewiston projects top list
LEWISTON — The Lewiston School Department, Regional School Unit 72 in Fryeburg and RSU 75 in Topsham got good news Wednesday.
The Maine Department of Education placed their construction projects in the top 10 on its priority list.
While there’s no guarantee any of the schools topping the list will be built, in most years the top 10 got state funding.
In Fryeburg, the Charles A. Snow School was listed as No. 5; Topsham’s Mt. Ararat High School is No. 7; and Lewiston’s Martel Elementary School is No. 8.
“I’m pleased with Lewiston’s placement on the list,” Lewiston School Superintendent Bill Webster said Wednesday. He cautioned that the news was preliminary.
“One of the big questions is whether or not the state will be funding any of these construction projects,” Webster said. “If they do fund, we’re in a strong position.”
The plan is to close Martel and Longley elementary schools and build a larger school in their place, Webster said.
“That would give us the opportunity to rethink districting lines” — which students go to which schools. That could affect Lewiston Middle School.
“It would be wonderful to have a sixth grade at the middle school,” Webster said. “Those are discussions we’ll have.”
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