POLAND — Should the elementary schools in each of the three towns of Regional School Unit 16 consolidate into one building? That is one of the issues a task force will take up and report on in September.
The board of directors voted Monday night to have Superintendent Ken Healey create a task force comprised of residents and school officials to address matters raised at two recent school staff and community forums.
Assistant Superintendent Amy Hediger, who recommended the task force, listed six issues the task force will focus on:
• Compensation and benefits: Improving wages, offering incentives, including staff day care, bonuses, and personal and professional development opportunities to prioritize employee satisfaction and retention.
• Transportation: Consolidating schools and restructuring bus routes to increase efficiency and reduce costs; considering other roles for bus drivers during the day.
• Building and resource management: Implementing maintenance schedules; building a new school or combining existing ones to improve resource management and reduce costs.
• School consolidation: Exploring options to reduce the number of schools or combining services to save money.
• Schedule and time management: Implementing a four-day workweek with professional development; offering flexible mental health days; prioritizing work-life balance and employee well-being.
• Grade level configuration: Shuffling grade configurations to optimize student learning and reduce costs.
Consolidating the elementary schools in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland had been talked about in general terms before, but due to the age and the heating and ventilation problems that beset all three buildings, administration officials want to look more closely at the situation.
Healey said in a February webinar discussing Minot’s heating issues that he and the district Operations Subcommittee visited with state officials. According to Healey, state officials said the district would stand a better chance of getting state funding if it consolidated the three schools into one.
The core of Elm Street School was built in 1954, while Poland Community and Minot Consolidated schools are each over 40 years old. While updating and renovating has occurred for all buildings, issues arise quicker and are more expensive to solve every time.
Minot Consolidated School’s boiler broke down in September and it took 20 weeks to get parts.
Last month, the board of directors endorsed a $5 million bond for new heating systems in the three elementary schools, with Minot being the priority.
The 20-year bond will be voted on May 2 by residents of the three towns.
Critics of the bond believe the reasons are right, but the financing is wrong.
Select Boards from Poland and Minot voiced objections to the life of the bond and the amount of interest it will cost.
Poland Select Board members Stephen Robinson and Mary-Beth Taylor and Minot Selectperson Lisa Cesare have said money should be made available for Minot Consolidated first before incorporating the Elm Street and Poland Community schools into the same financial picture.
“Minot school needs to be done,” Robinson said, “and following the process of having a quote on how to pay for that, bond it or not, and go out and actually spend that to have accountability.”
Healey said officials only got estimates and based the bond amount on that.
In a related issue, Hediger told directors the principal at Minot Consolidated School has been asked “to develop an emergency closure plan in the event that the bond does not pass or there is a catastrophic failure that renders the school inoperable.”
Hediger wrote in an email, “Regardless of the bond’s outcome, the task force will continue exploring options that ensure our students have access to quality education, resources and facilities.”
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