PERU — About 75 people gathered Monday night at the former Peru Elementary School to discuss a preliminary proposal to combine or reconfigure RSU 10 schools in the Rumford-Mexico-Dixfield area.

RSU 10 includes 11 towns in three regions: Rumford, Mexico, Roxbury and Byron in Mountain Valley; Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru in Dirigo; and Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner in Nezinscot Valley; plus Hanover.

Dirigo region residents Terry Richard and Lolisa Windover said they have many questions about combining Dirigo and Mountain Valley high schools in Dixfield and Rumford, respectively. Those questions involve sports and other co-curricular programs, establishing a junior high school for grades eight and nine, and moving fifth-graders from the elementary schools in Rumford, Mexico and Dixfield into the middle schools in Dixfield and Mexico.

As proposed, Mountain Valley High School would become the high school. It would serve 547 students in grades 10-12.

Dirigo High School would become a junior high school serving 372 students in grades eight and nine.

Mountain Valley Middle School would remain a middle school, but would serve 335 students in grades five to seven.

Dirigo Middle School would also remain a middle school, but would serve 174 students in grades five to seven.

 The three elementary schools would no longer house fifth-graders. At Rumford elementary, student enrollment would be 270 prekindergarten to grade 4; at Dirigo elementary, 317 prekindergarten to grade 4; and at Meroby elementary, 246 prekindergarten to grade four.

 “The school board may have good intentions, but we’re looking at what this could do to the kids,” Richard said.

Windover also questioned where the savings would come from.

Superintendent Tom Ward said Wednesday that the plan to go before the board on Monday will be a request to conduct a feasibility study of a reconfiguration. The tentative plan is just that, he said, a possibility that could help reduce costs.

“We’re trying to minimize the increase in the budget,” he said.

The current operating budget is $34.1 million. With built-in increases such as contracted salaries and higher fuel and other energy costs, that could increase by almost $3 million.

He said some of the savings that could lead to a smaller increase could include combining sports teams and other co-curricular activities, and not replacing staff members who retire or move to other jobs.

Windover said no one really knows what the plan is and what the savings would be.

“Will this be the best education for our children? How could this help our kids?” she asked.

A major concern is the possible loss of identity for the Dirigo area.

“This would destroy our community. People move here for the schools,” said Windover, who has two daughters attending Dirigo High School. “We want to listen to the plan. Our numbers aren’t down. They told us (when RSU 10 was created) that we weren’t going to merge. Now, they want to merge us.”

Richard questioned the amount of time students would spend on the bus getting to school. She was also concerned about the possibility that many students would be cut from after-school activities.

Windover said she will ask the board and administration at Monday’s meeting about the procedure for withdrawing from RSU 10.

Ward said four people have requested to be put on the agenda at Monday’s meeting so they can speak about the proposal. That segment of the meeting will come first, then he will officially unveil the plan.

If the board agrees to go ahead with the feasibility study, then he will ask it to set an informational meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, at Dirigo High School.