Public schools are the lifeblood of every community. Public schools tend to be among the largest, most prominent buildings in the community. They are the institution we expect to prepare our young people for the demands of the adult world. They serve as community centers where all people can meet, interact, and share in common interests and activities. Public schools serve the common good.

The public schools of RSU No. 10 have served us well through the past decades. Thousands of children have learned how to read, to write, to research, to sing, to explore, to gain skills, to become employable, to become university students, to become taxpayers, to become soldiers, to become professionals, to become adults who serve their families, town, state and nation. The value of our public schools and the role they play in the lives of every member of the community is immeasurable. Therefore, it is our duty to ensure we have a plan for the future for our public schools.

We currently have several schools that are significantly below student capacity. We have several schools that require considerable renovation. The current configuration, design and ages of our buildings are not particularly suited to the future needs of the students and communities of RSU No. 10. In addition to physical considerations, we also need to be concerned about fiscal realities that affect our ability to fund our schools.

How are our schools funded?

• Local property-tax-based property values;

• Student enrollment;

• Funding from the Maine Legislature;

• Financial ability of municipalities to support taxes;

• Political will of municipalities to support taxes;

• Economic robustness of the local and state economy;

• Federal grants.

It is obvious that most of the factors we rely upon for school funding are unpredictable. The physical conditions of our schools and the fiscal realities of our funding system require we take a deliberate, thoughtful look at the future of RSU No. 10 schools.

The RSU No. 10 School Board has taken on the challenge of considering the future of our public schools. After a year of exhaustive work, the Buildings and Grounds Committee has created three viable reconfiguration options for RSU No. 10 schools.

This work included: (a) a visit to each building, (b) an evaluation of each component of each building, (c) collection of historical data, (d) collaboration with HKTA Architects of Portland, and (e) extensive discussions around many scenarios and options.

The architectural firm has created three comprehensive options that are fairly well defined, including: (a) building capacities, (b) proposed grade levels by building, (c) proposed building populations, (d) proposed building closures, (e) proposed renovations, (f) advantages of each of the three options, and (g) disadvantages of each of the three options.

The three options developed can be viewed online at: http://district.rsu10.org/

RSU No. 10 will host three public forums at which community members will have the opportunity to discuss those three options and offer their opinions to the School Board. It is my hope that members of the RSU No. 10 community will be able to attend one of these sessions — an important first step in creating a plan for the future of RSU No. 10 schools and the students they serve.

Public forum times and dates are: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, Mountain Valley High School; 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 16, Dirigo High School; and 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 24, Buckfield Jr/Sr High School.

Craig King, Superintendent of Schools, RSU No. 10