POLAND — Regional School District 16 directors decided Monday night that sixth graders in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland will not be relocated to the Bruce M. Whittier Middle School in Poland.

The middle school shares the building with Poland Regional High School students.

Directors wanted to settle the question of the sixth grade’s location before determining if the district should keep all three elementary schools or close Minot Consolidated School and reconfigure elementary grades at Poland Community School and Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls.

Assistant Superintendent Amy Hediger offered pros and cons to a sixth grade transition to the middle school.

In a presentation, she noted that a more rigorous academic environment would be achieved by intermingling the sixth graders with older peers, and that a broader curriculum would prepare them “for the challenges of higher-level education.”

However, it was noted that more demanding academics could also place additional pressure on sixth graders and that “transitioning from elementary to middle school can be overwhelming for some students,” leading to stress and anxiety issues.

Emma MacMahon, student representative and a nonvoting member on the board, said, “The culture of the two schools (middle and high school) is different. Putting in another younger grade, we couldn’t keep (them) separate” from the older students, she said. The middle school and high school share common areas of the building and it would be a disservice having a younger grade coming into contact with older students, she said.

In a related issue, to determine what the estimated costs would be in refurbishing and updating the heating and ventilation systems in the three elementary schools, school directors were given numbers provided by AEI, a nationwide consulting firm that provides environmental and building assessments.

At its August meeting the district directors approved spending $17,500 for AEI’s services.

According to a recently updated estimate to a proposal from Energy Management Consultants Inc., the cost would be $7.4 million to update HVAC systems in the three schools.

Minot Consolidated would cost $2.5 million, Elm Street School $2.7 million, and Poland Community School $2.2 million.

AEI’s report included maintenance and anticipated capital expenditures necessary to maintain all RSU 16 facilities in good operating condition over 10 years.

Minot resident Bob Klar, a specialist in machine design and facilities for over 30 years, told directors that some figures provided by the district’s consultants were “not as detailed as they could be.”

Klar is also a member of the school district’s Futures Task Force, which was formed following the defeat of a $5.2 million bond referendum earlier this year for the schools. The referendum was brought forward after a cast-iron plate cracked on the boiler at Minot Consolidated School in September 2022.

Klar told directors the crack was actually caused by a faulty pump, which overloaded the pressure to the boiler. He said the same thing could happen again if the pump isn’t fixed or replaced.

The boiler is fine, Klar said, and doesn’t need to be replaced by a $2 million boiler recommended by EMC Inc. He said “root cause analysis” is often overlooked in such reports.

Director Steve Turner of Mechanic Falls asked, “How in the world can we get advice that we can trust?”

Klar responded, “Small-town people. Build relationships with local” professionals and tradesmen.

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