PARIS — As the door to 2025 opens this week, so, too, does the future for education in Oxford Hills.

Maine School Administrative District 17 has embarked on what it calls a once in a lifetime opportunity for learning – in 2022 the Maine Department of Education approved placing two of its schools on the state’s priority list of for replacement.

To accommodate the student population of Oxford Hills Middle School, MSAD 17 had to split into two campuses in 2013. Currently students attend either the north campus in South Paris or the south campus off Pottle Road in Oxford. The school was selected for replacement by the Maine Department of Education two years ago. File photo

A designation that has made Oxford Hills the envy of every other district in Maine has become a delicate, and controversial, issue locally.

In order to accept more than $100 million in financial support from Maine DOE, SAD 17 will also need to accept that the era of the community-based school will come to a close, as Harrison, Norway, Waterford and West Paris students would consolidate into newer and larger buildings, likely in a different town. The process has already begun for West Paris and its 130-year-old school Agnes Gray Elementary. Students have attended Paris Elementary School since last February and SAD 17’s school board has initiated the state process to close it permanently.

A district-wide referendum will be held next November for Oxford Hills voters to decide wheth

Oxford Hills Middle School, where thousands of kids have passed through since mid-20th century, will be replaced and its student body expanded to include sixth grade students.

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Many families in Oxford Hills – especially those from the affected towns with active ties to their school – have closely followed the two school construction projects.

The original Norway High School built in 1884 on Main Street is seen in this photo. A larger high school was built next to it in 1929, which is now the Guy E. Rowe Elementary School. File photo

But as recently gathered survey data shows, many more residents and taxpayers know little about the decisions and implications of building two new schools that will each house 450 or more students.

SAD 17 has released a Frequently Asked Questions presentation that details information about future education in Oxford Hills, including current and projected student populations; the impact of making special and student services more accessible to all students, operational and facilities current costs and projected savings; transportation scenarios; and staffing requirements.

The document is available online; that and more information and developments related to school construction can be found by visiting the district website at https://www.msad17.org/ and clicking on the School Construction Projects link.

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