EUSTIS — Along with state and national decisions, voters will be asked to make a tough local choice at the polls on Tuesday.

In a petition submitted in September to selectmen, voters expressed their concerns that the SAD 58 board plans to close the Stratton Elementary School to save money.

“The townspeople who developed this petition have made it clear that the purpose of this action is to provide the best possible educational experiences for the students and to insure the vibrancy of the community,” the petition read. “The SAD 58 administration has repeatedly stated that ‘the current budget level is simply not sustainable;’ severe changes are predicted.”

Eustis resident Alan Burnell has been part of the Save Our School Committee, which has pursued the option of the school withdrawing from the district. The committee held an informational meeting in September to explain the process and answer questions. Residents’ reasons for withdrawing were simple, Burnell told school board directors in his report at the October meeting.

“We want to control our own school and our own destiny,” he said. “It simply comes down to local control.”

Burnell suggested that if Eustis leaves the district, Kingfield, Strong, Phillips and Avon could benefit from lower transportation costs and consolidation of services. Many students travel from Eustis to Mt. Abram High School, and to Mt. Blue Regional School District’s technology
center, with a return trip at the end of the day.

“It makes SAD 58 more geographically compact not transporting students 25 to 30 miles to school each way,” he said.

If voters approve withdrawing, Steven Bowen, Maine’s commissioner of the Department of Education, will instruct the town to establish a committee to draft an agreement. The school board chairman would meet with the withdrawal committee within 30 days of the Eustis town clerk’s report of the vote. The withdrawal committee would submit its negotiations with the school board to decide the cost divisions and budget changes. It may submit that proposed agreement to the commissioner within 90 days, but the commissioner may grant a request for an extension of time to provide the agreement. Once the commissioner has received the final proposal, he has 60 days to grant conditional approval or suggest changes.

Residents would have a chance to review the proposal at a public hearing. The process would take several months and many meetings, but if voters approve, Eustis residents could finalize withdrawal plans before the start of the 2013 school year in September.

Polls will be open at the Eustis town office from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information about the withdrawal process, visit www.maine.gov/doe.

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