PERU — The Regional School Unit 10 board of directors has extended school days by one hour for three weeks starting April 3, Superintendent Deborah Alden said Tuesday.
“That will make up three snow days,” she said. “I had gotten quite a bit of positive feedback from students, parents and staff, and our student representative to the board, Travis Palmer, spoke in favor of it (at the board meeting Monday).”
Barring further storm days, Friday, June 16, will be the last day of school.
In other business;
* Alden said the cost of relocating RSU 10 central offices from Dixfield to Mountain Valley High School in Rumford is $65,000 with $45,000 of it paid for by RSU 56, the towns of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru, which withdrew from RSU 10 in November.
* A school bond referendum vote of $900,250 for the renovation of the roof at MVHS will take place June 13. The amount forgiven is $557,165 or 61.89 percent, with a payment of $343,085 for 10 years at zero percent interest.
“It’s extremely important that the five towns (including Byron) that are withdrawing understand that if they vote yes on it, it doesn’t mean any financial commitment to them at all,” Alden said. “We want to vote on June 13, with (other referendum articles) and we want the vote to be taken at the same time so we don’t have to pay for a separate vote.”
* Alden said the Reappropriation Committee met March 15 to discuss the reconfiguration of the school board for next year. The consensus of the group encompassing seven towns was that starting July 1 the town of Rumford would have four board members, Mexico would have three, Buckfield would have two, and Sumner, Hartford, Hanover and Roxbury would have one each. If approved by the commissioner of education, there will be a 13-member board.
* Alden said a Maine State Education Committee vote which could have taken away funding for systems administration positions such as payroll, superintendents and business managers approved keeping it in the budget.
* The board elected Craig Zurhorst to represent RSU 10 on the Region 9 board of directors.
The next school board meeting is Monday, April 3, at Buckfield High School and will involve budget discussions.
mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net
Regional School Unit 10
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