The Kingfield school withdrawal committee hosted its fourth community forum Sept. 22, with residents weighing the future of Mt. Abram High School in Salem Township, Kingfield Elementary School and future budgets.

Around 60 people met in the elementary school gymnasium to hear the Kingfield School Options Committee present some benefits and risks of leaving Maine School Administrative District 58.

Kingfield and Strong will decide Nov. 3 whether to stay in the district. Should either town approve withdrawal, that community’s share of funds to the district would fall on the surrounding towns, which include Avon and Phillips.

Kingfield had 58 students in prekindergarten to grade eight last spring and 29 at the high school, according to Kathy Houston, chair of the withdrawal committee.

Strong had 60 students attending the high school last spring, Houston said, and 88 in grades pre-K to eight.

Kingfield pays around 40% of the local share of MSAD 58’s budget. If Strong were to leave the district and Kingfield stay, their share would rise to around 50%.

Houston said Kingfield would be open to working with MSAD 58, and Strong, if they withdraw, to keep Mt. Abram High School open. The high school is located in Salem Township.

“If Kingfield and Strong both withdrew, that would be a significant issue,” Houston said. “It would be really hard for the district to sustain Mt. Abram if they don’t have Strong monies or Kingfield monies.”

“We believe there are options,” Houston said, referring to ways to keep Mt. Abram if Kingfield and Strong both withdraw. “Like I said, the options could be as simple as different funding formulas.”

She also said transferring ownership of the elementary school would help alleviate some of the operational costs for the district.

The district, which also includes Strong Elementary School and Day Mountain Regional Middle School, both in Strong. It has about 563 students with about 118 of them from Eustis, Carrabassett Valley and six unorganized territories and plantations covering over 500 square miles, according to its website.

Between the board and attendees, the sentiment was the same: The high school is vital to families in the region.

“We support (Mt. Abram),” said Mathias Ringle, a member of the Kingfield School Options Committee. “It’s been really important to all of us from the very beginning that we do everything that we can to keep Mt. Abram open and strong.”

After residents asked questions about the budget for the new district, the committee reminded them that the budget of $2.49 million to run the K-8 school was only an estimate. Actual numbers would need to be put together by the new school board and approved by residents.

MSAD 58 Director Ashley Hopwood Farrar, of Kingfield, spoke from the audience during public comment, saying the short-term savings shouldn’t overshadow the long-term spending of the new school administrative unit. She discussed the relationship with the other district communities.

“I do believe in neighbors helping neighbors,” she said, referring to the joint education of the communities of Kingfield, Strong, Avon and Phillips. “But there does come a point when the scales tip. For example, Kingfield paying the lion’s share and not having a local school.”

Kingfield’s new school administrative unit would form with an undesignated fund of at least $300,000, 15% of MSAD 58’s undesignated funds.

If formed, Kingfield’s SAU has negotiated with Mt. Abram High School to guarantee acceptance, with the district paying 105% of the state tuition rate to MSAD 58. The tuition can follow a student to any state-approved school if they choose a school other than Mt. Abram.

To pass, a two-thirds majority of Kingfield residents will need to approve withdrawal.

Balloting on Nov. 3 will be at the respective town offices.

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