LIVERMORE FALLS — RSU 73 directors will hold an informational meeting Monday to hear comments from the public on the possibility of closing the high school in Livermore Falls.

The board wants to hear how the residents of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls feel before it votes on whether to close the school or not.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m., Dec. 12, in the cafeteria of the Livermore Falls high school.

The board’s Facilities Committee is exploring two options on housing high school students from both the Jay and Livermore Falls schools for next year.

Committee members are expected to make a recommendation on which option they choose at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19, at the Cedar Street Boardroom in Livermore Falls.

The chosen option will go to the whole School Board at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the Cedar Street Boardroom.

During the latter meeting it is expected that directors will make a decision on school closure.

The options the Facilities Committee are exploring are combining the high school students at the Jay school in the fall of 2012, if its feasible to have an addition completed at that building to make it able to accommodate and serve all students and programming.

The option is left open, if an addition is not quite ready in September 2012, to possibly moving the south campus in Livermore Falls to the Jay school during December break.

The other option is having all ninth-grade students attend the north campus in Jay and having both high schools operational for 2012-13 while an addition is being built. The north campus would serve grades nine, 10, 11 and 12 and the south campus in Livermore Falls would serve grades 10, 11 and 12.

This included the concept that all students would attend the Jay site in 2013.

If the board votes to close the school, then there will also be a public hearing on the closure prior to a referendum vote in Livermore and Livermore Falls.

Jay residents will not vote on the closure.

If Livermore and Livermore Falls voters decide to keep the Livermore Falls school open, taxpayers in those towns will be responsible to pay more than an estimated $600,000 to keep the school open.

Taxpayers in those towns would also be responsible for paying the district budget costs as well.

Jay residents would not pay to keep the Livermore Falls school open.

[email protected]