LIVERMORE FALLS – SAD 36 directors raised their hands to favor a different proposal for school consolidation than the one the Legislature’s appropriations sub-committee is looking at.

Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, and Rep. L. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, wanted to see how directors felt about the plans during a public forum on consolidation of school systems.

The sub-committee’s proposal is having difficulty acquiring a two-thirds vote at the state level, Nutting, Knight and SAD 36 Superintendent Terry Despres all said. They also said they don’t expect the proposal to pass as written.

Under that proposal, there would be no more than 80 school districts with 2,500-student minimums. Waivers would be given to isolated school districts, islands and Indian-operated schools. There would be no local referendum to approve the plan but straw polls would be required. New districts would be operational by July 1, 2008.

There is an effort by some to return to the Legislature’s Education Committee’s position, Despres said. Under that proposal there would be regionally organized planning alliances in 2007-08, a minimum district size of 1,200 students, waivers for existing collaboratives. Regional service districts would be formed and districts would not be implemented until July 1, 2009.

The final consolidation plan would also need approval by local voters under that proposal.

Despres said Monday there will be an influx of information coming from different groups opposing the sub-committee’s proposal.

Despres said he sees need for a merger of the two plans before either gains majority approval.

The superintendent passed out information highlighting student enrollment, costs per pupil and other facts and figures he put together for school districts that SAD 36 is talking with about possible consolidation.

Among those in discussions are Jay, SAD 52 in the Turner area, Winthrop, Fayette and SAD 9 in the Farmington area.

If districts don’t choose partners for consolidation, the state has slated SAD 36 to go with Jay and SAD 9.

When those in the audience were asked which area schools they would like to have SAD 36 partner with, Livermore Falls selectmen’s Chairman Julie Deschesne said Jay. Livermore Selectperson Wayne Timberlake also said Jay.

“It should have been done long ago,” Timberlake said.

SAD 36 Director Rod Newman of Livermore said for the kids and the schools that would be great, but he could not vote for that for taxpayers’ sake until the state straightened out money issues.

Jay has a higher property valuation so it gets less state aid for education. SAD 36 gets more as a result of its lower property valuation.

Information Despres passed out shows the combined value of Livermore and Livermore Falls, the two towns that make up SAD 36, at $295 million with the district spending $7,280 per student, including debt service.

Jay is valued at $850.65 million and spends $12,635 per student including debt service.

SAD 36 is its own entity and assesses taxes to its two towns while Jay schools are part of a municipality.

If school systems are dissolved as they are, Jay’s money would revert to taxpayers while SAD 36 would have to find a way to return the money to the two towns.

Despres said he is working to build a budget that would zero everything out.

Despres said there are more ways for the state to find the money needed to support a shortfall than trying to balance it on education.

School districts can come up with their own savings by working together as the Western Maine Educational Collaborative has been doing to share services, he said. They bid out items together and are considering developing a service center to handle payroll and other functions to keep more money in the classrooms, he said.