HARRISON —  As the town considers whether to leave Maine School Administrative District 17, inaccurate information about the school district’s plans for building consolidation and closings was disseminated last week by Select Board Chairperson Matt Frank.

Speaking at the Dec. 12 board meeting Frank discussed the district’s plans to close schools, but much of the information he shared conflicts with official documents provided by Superintendent Heather Manchester and the school board.

Harrison Select Board Chairperson Matthew Frank, during a multitown selectmen’s meeting held Oct. 4 at the Paris Fire Department on Western Ave. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

“A little background for the public,” Frank said. “SAD 17 has a plan for the future. Their plan, assuming voters approve it, will be to close seven of the eight schools, leaving Hebron open. Moving all students to a new school that they’re going to build, probably in the Norway-South Paris area.”

According to Manchester, there have been no discussions to close seven elementary schools since the district formed its Elementary Building Committee two years ago, which she emphasized at this week’s board meeting.

Three proposals have been presented to the community: build a new elementary school in West Paris; build an addition to Paris Elementary School to accommodate students from West Paris; or consolidate Harrison, Norway and Waterford schools, with West Paris students continuing to attend Paris Elementary.

The district is pursuing a plan to have West Paris students from prekindergarten to fifth grade stay at Paris Elementary since Agnes Gray Elementary School in West Paris closed last February. It also calls for a new centrally located school for students from Harrison Elementary, Waterford Memorial Elementary and Guy E. Rowe Elementary School in Norway. Those three schools would be closed, likely by 2028 or 2029.

The four elementary schools in Paris, Oxford, Hebron and Otisfield would remain open. In the future, some Oxford Hills students could attend classes in another town, based on geography and student needs.

About 10% of the district’s elementary students attend a school in towns other than where they live, partly because some have needs that cannot be met at the smaller community school.

Condition of buildings

Discussion about the condition of the schools — particularly Harrison Elementary School — also brought to light some misinformation about needed repairs should the school stay open.

In his comments, Frank referred to an inspection report of all district schools, saying Harrison Elementary School was given a grade of D+, in large part due to lack of a fire protection system. The school was built before such life safety equipment was mandatory.

“We need a sprinkler system, they then said ‘no, you need a new floor on the basketball court,’” Frank said. “Summer came, and gone, and they didn’t do the basketball court.”

School floor replacements are done through Maine Department of Education’s School Revolving Renovation Fund, according to Manchester. The district applied to have gym floors in several schools done, but with no bids received, the work has not been done.

Additionally, Manchester said the state loan program cannot be used for life safety systems. Adding a sprinkler system to Harrison Elementary would require a capital investment project and bond, as well as a districtwide referendum.

MSAD 17 is separately working on a $22 million capital improvements plan to address deferred maintenance in all its elementary schools.

If the partial consolidation plan is approved by district voters next year, the deferred maintenance estimates will substantially drop, saving taxpayers up to $15 million, Manchester said.

Frank also touched on busing issues, saying the situation would worsen under its partial consolidation plan. But he did not inform attendees that the school construction plan includes purchasing additional school buses to increase bus routes and alleviate long rides for students.

Legal trouble, cost-sharing

“West Paris and South Paris are suing the school district … for what’s going on with their schools,” Frank told residents, doubling down on his statement that SAD 17 is closing seven elementary schools in Harrison, Norway, Otisfield, Oxford, Paris, West Paris and Waterford.

In October, West Paris and Paris authorized their respective legal teams to file suit against the district over the procedure followed when it closed Agnes Gray last February.

However, by Nov. 25, the Paris Select Board stated its plans to meet with their attorney, Kristin Collins of Preti Flaherty, about vacating the legal complaint.

“What we’re looking at is the potential of Harrison leaving SAD 17,” Frank said. “When a little more than 6% of the student body and more than 18% of the budget (comes from town) because we’re perceived to be rich. But you have other towns like Oxford that has a casino, hotels and a Walmart, and they’re poor.”

Reached for comment, Oxford Town Manager Adam Garland replied, “Oxford is a fiscally responsible community. Our TIFs have been a reinvestment in economic development to benefit the town. One example is the public sewer infrastructure, which supports residents and businesses now and allows for commercial expansion in the future.”

Local cost-sharing is calculated by state-level formulas that determine communities’ funding of public education. No school district has any impact on how Maine DOE assesses local contributions for public education.

Harrison’s assessment is higher than the other towns that have less — or no — property tax revenue from waterfront real estate. That assessment impacts the town’s education model regardless of whether it moves to a different district or chooses independence and sends students to other districts to attend school.

Leaving SAD 17?

Harrison’s future with MSAD 17, school alternatives and financial realities of leaving the district remain in question.

“A number of schools in the area have answered, basically, ‘yes we could have our students go there,’” Frank said. “How much we pay is another state formula that’s complicated but will probably cost us less than what we’re paying now. “But not definitely, because when you look at our numbers now, we’re on par with Cape Elizabeth.”

A working group researching options for and consequences of leaving the district was formed last spring. It includes Frank, Selectperson Debra Kane and Town Manager Cass Newell.

Kane requested the working group be formalized as a committee dedicated to Harrison’s education future. The Select Board has already recruited resident Denise Baker and two college students for the endeavor. Frank said he would like a few other volunteers, specifically those with school-age children.

Two seats on the 22-member school board are allocated for Harrison residents but historically its directors have resigned before their terms expire.

Mark Heidmann has served the past four years, after being appointed to fill a vacancy due to a resignation.

The other seat has been vacant for at least a year after Rose Lacasse, who was elected in 2022, stopped attending meetings. No one ran for the seat in June and the write-in candidate with the most votes refused to take the position. The Select Board has not appointed a replacement.