LIVERMORE FALLS — The RSU 36 Board of Directors on Tuesday authorized the superintendent to submit a school consolidation plan to the state Department of Education by Nov. 10.
Ten board members approved submitting the plan and two members abstained from voting after Superintendent Susan Pratt gave a brief presentation on the plan to merge Jay schools and RSU 36 into one regional school system starting July 1, 2011.
The most important vote was the one taken last spring to form a Regional Planning Committee to address the consolidation of the two districts, board Chairman Ashley O’Brien said. A process started in May that has involved more than 100 people from all three towns working together on the planning.
Two key components in the plan are cost sharing for the three towns and a proposed 13-member board based on a one man, one vote model, Pratt told the board.
The plan was created with the students as the top priority, she explained. Eliminating or reducing duplication and creating efficiency within the schools will provide an opportunity to enhance programs for students and maximize services, she said.
Between the two school systems, nearly $400,000 is being spent on penalties for not coming up with a plan to consolidate.
“That’s a lot of programming,” Pratt said.
That figure could go up and legislators at Jay’s meeting Monday voiced concerns that they don’t see a lot of state money available for education, she added.
Approval by the RSU 36 board Tuesday in addition to Jay’s School Committee vote to submit it on Monday allows the plan to go to the Department of Education, get a legal review and appear before voters in the three towns in January.
Three public hearings have been scheduled, one in each town, the first will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at Jay Middle School. A second public hearing is planned for 6 p.m. on Jan. 5 at Livermore Elementary School followed by one at 6 p.m. on Jan. 12 at Livermore Falls High School.
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