The Maine Board of Education must approve the merger.
DIXFIELD – On Thursday, the day after SAD 21 voters overwhelmingly agreed to welcome Peru to the district, Thomas Ward and John Turner were beaming.

Ward, superintendent of SAD 21, said Wednesday’s referendum vote was “tremendous news.”

“I felt fairly confident that all three communities would approve it, but I had no idea the vote would be that overwhelming,” Ward said.

“It’s a major shot in the arm for SAD 21, and it will enable us to provide a high quality education for our kids,” he added.

The merger passed by a majority vote of 493-73 in SAD 21’s towns of Canton, Carthage and Dixfield. A cost-share ratio based 90 percent on property valuation and 10 percent on student population passed by a vote of 488-75.

“This just reconfirms what I’ve always believed, that there is tremendous support here for SAD 21, education and our children,” Ward added.

Turner was equally pleased with the vote.

“I’m thrilled with the results,” said Turner, Peru School’s superintendent.

The next step, Turner said, is for Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron to verify the vote and gain it’s approval at the Maine Board of Education’s meeting Wednesday in Augusta.

“Now, we have good problems, but we’ll work collaboratively together with all the communities in making the best decision on where the site will be for the new school, and what the reconfiguration of the new district will be,” Ward added.

That new school – to be constructed with $10 million that the state had set aside for the project – is to be located on the Peru-Canton side of the Androscoggin River.

A new SAD 21 board is to be formed at the directors’ meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 12.

Each SAD 21 town must drop one of its directors to make way for Peru representatives.

Both the Peru and SAD 21 school boards will continue to operate separately through the 2004-05 school year.

During that year, Ward said he and Turner would look at their district’s services and personnel to determine how best to share them in a regionalized effort.

“We can’t involve anything fiscally, but we can make better use of personnel and services. It’s going to be exciting,” Ward said.