OXFORD – SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman has said no thanks to a request by SAD 61 to give Harrison to the Lake Region School District.

It’s the third suitor to come calling on the Oxford Hills School District.

“Are you sitting down?” Eastman asked directors at Monday night’s meeting as he told them about the request that went something like this: “‘We don’t want to consolidate, but would you consider giving us one of your towns?'”

Under SAD 61’s plan, Harrison would secede from SAD 17 and become a part of the Bridgton, Casco, Naples and Sebago district, giving SAD 61 about 2,500 students to meet upcoming state guidelines on consolidation.

At the time of the offer, about two weeks ago, the state was proposing that school districts have a minimum of 2,500 students to avoid consolidating with another district. With Harrison’s 400-student population, SAD 61 would meet those requirements.

“They did their math, but I don’t believe this is what the commissioner had in mind,” said Eastman with a smile. “It’s a bit bizarre,” he said.

Eastman said Friday that a legislative committee revised the Appropriations Subcommittee’s recommendations from a minimum of 2,500 to 1,500 students for forced consolidation. Other language is expected to be revised, including the timeline for implementation and the number of members on a board of directors.

Eastman said he has seen a map, which is not public yet, that shows SADs 17 and 39 combined as an example of a successful merger under the pending guidelines.

Oxford Hills has eight towns: Harrison, Hebron, Norway, Otisfield, Oxford, Paris, Waterford and West Paris.

While SAD 61’s plan failed to receive anything but a polite chuckle from some SAD 17 directors Monday night, Eastman said the Lakes Region School District is not the only one to come courting SAD 17 in recent weeks.

School Union 29, which is comprised of Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland with a little more than 1,000 students, has asked if SAD 17 would have any interest in consolidating.

SAD 44, which covers Andover, Bethel, Greenwood, Newry and Woodstock and has about 1,050 students, has also expressed an interest in discussing possible consolidation. The most likely candidate is SAD 39 with its 600-student system in Buckfield, Hartford and Sumner.

Eastman said he sent SAD 61’s request to the town manager in Harrison.