MECHANIC FALLS – The school committee Tuesday night voted to send the Maine Department of Education notice that Mechanic Falls intends to join Minot and Poland in submitting an alternative plan to form a three-town regional school unit.

In order to comply with legislation that seeks to reduce school administration costs, school and town officials from the three towns have spent the past few months studying school consolidation possibilities: Merging with Auburn; merging with Auburn, Turner, Leeds and Greene; and merging with Gray-New Gloucester, with Raymond, Lake Region, Buckfield, Sumner and Oxford Hills.

The conclusion is to merge with none of the above, but rather seek a tighter union of the three towns.

The new legislation seeks to reduce the number of school districts from 290 to about 80 and recommends that each district have a minimum of 2,500 students or, if circumstances justify, at least 1,200 students.

Since Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland have a total of only 1,730 students, the Department of Education must be convinced that justifying circumstances exist as does a plan that cost effectively provides students in the three towns with a superior education.

The argument made by the three towns keys on the work that began in the 1990s when the towns sought, with the help of legislative action, to create a unique high school that today is Poland Regional High School and subsequent work where the three towns cooperated to provide K-8 students with a common educational experience in preparation for the new school.

“Right now, Union 29 offers more things than most school districts do. I am not sure Auburn can offer us more,” said school Superintendent Dennis Duquette.

Duquette is convinced he can win the argument based on the quality of education that can be provided.

Then there is the question of saving money.

The intent of the legislation is to reduce administration costs. The plan that will be submitted details steps already taken at the Union 29 Central Office – two positions eliminated – and steps that remain to be taken.

Duquette also noted that while consolidation may reduce administration costs, it may very well have the unintended consequence of raising other costs when new contracts for teachers, support staff and bus drivers are factored in.

Duquette acknowledged that early estimates unintended costs are scary and therefore, make it imperative that consolidation talks continue with Auburn, Turner and the other towns in order to get a clearer picture of exactly what the financial impact will be.

Duquette said that once known, the financial impacts will provide “good, sound reasoning” for a three-town regional school unit.

The Minot and Poland school committees will take action on the plan to transform Union 29 into a three-town RSU at their regular August meetings.