RUMFORD — The Regional School Unit 10 board of directors has reduced the number of librarians in the district from five to three.

The board voted Monday to also change the number of library technicians from one to three, Superintendent Deb Alden said Tuesday.

Two librarians retired this spring. The new configuration beginning in the fall means one librarian and one library technician for every two schools, Alden said.

The decision to have fewer librarians in the district was based in part on the amount of state funding received by having a specific number of librarians per students.

“When we get subsidy money (from the Maine Department of Education), they base it on ‘X’ number of kids, every ‘X’ number of kids (they will ) pay for a librarian,” Alden said at a board meeting earlier this month. “I think it’s around 800, so if it’s 800 to 1, then they’ll pay for a librarian and they’ll pay for a certain amount of library techs based on the amount.”

The district includes seven schools: Hartford-Sumner Elementary and Buckfield Junior-Senior High in the Nezinscot Region, and Meroby Elementary, Rumford Elementary, Mountain Valley Middle, Mountain Valley High and the Western Foothills Regional Program in the River Valley area.

All of the schools are included in the share of librarians, except the Western Foothills Regional Program, a school for students with special needs, because the school does not have a library, Alden said.

The board of directors’ vote on the change in the number of librarians tied at 6-6, and was decided by a weighted vote resulting in a 464-429 decision.

Directors voting against the change in the number of librarians: Kathy Sutton of Roxbury, Travis Palmer and Greg Buccina of Rumford, Charles Maddaus of Sumner, Chad Culleton of Hartford and Rita Aaroma of Hanover.

Directors who approved of the change: Ashley Derouche, Janet Brennick and Peter DeFilipp of Mexico, Jerry Wiley and Michelle Casey of Buckfield, and Jennifer LeDuc of Rumford.

mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net