DURHAM — A petition to consider withdrawal from Regional School Unit 5 has the required number of signatures to go before the Board of Selectmen, Town Clerk Shannon Plourde said.

Plourde has to verify names before the document is notarized and passed to selectmen. She said there’s a chance the petition may be invalid if all of the signatures aren’t from registered Durham voters.

The petition contains 214 signatures, the exact number needed to move it forward.

It is unclear who created the petition to withdraw from the Freeport-Durham-Pownal school district.

“It’s being circulated at the Durham Get & Go, but we don’t know who started it,” Plourde said.

Donna Church, owner of the convenience store at 697 Royalsborough Road, did not return a phone call seeking more information.

Once the petition is before the board, selectmen will review it and vote on whether the question will be put before voters.

Residents would vote on whether they want to form a committee to explore withdrawal from the RSU, and on how much money the town should spend on the effort.

Plourde said she’s not sure when the petition will go before the board.

She said the creator of the petition missed the deadline for the Nov. 3 general election ballot, so a special election will have to be held if the board sends the decision to voters.

Durham previously explored withdrawal from RSU 5 in 2012, but the measure was defeated 1,718-650.

Last year, Freeport considered withdrawal, but the town voted 2,228 to 2,152 to stay in the district.

Nelson Larkins, chairman of the RSU 5 board of directors, this week said the board is aware of the Durham petition, but won’t be taking any immediate action.

“I would suggest that the board not take a position on this,” he said. “It wouldn’t need to be on any upcoming agenda.”

Copy the Story Link