CANTON — School Withdrawal Committee member Natalie Sneller was on hand at the selectmen meeting Thursday night to explain to the town the plan for the school’s withdrawal and reorganization.
Sneller said that the Maine Department of Education has approved the withdrawal agreement which was voted on last June for the towns of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru to withdraw from Regional School Unit 10.
“Basically, the withdrawal was kind of how are you going to pull things apart, and then we have to figure out how we would reorganize as an RSU composed of the four towns that formerly were part of SAD 21,” Sneller said, adding that the task of reorganization was a simpler task than withdrawal.
The reorganization group is “looking at a school board that would be composed of 12 members,” she said.
“One of the prime consideration points for us was to make sure that every town had at least two school board representatives; I think with only four towns involved we wanted to make sure that everybody had a say.”
The proposed composition for the 12 school board members would be five from Dixfield, two each from Canton and Carthage, and three from Peru.
Another important part of the process is the transition budget, Sneller said. “The cost of the withdrawal is two-fold, (including) the one-time cost of actually withdrawing and reorganizing,” and the long-term cost of the school budget.
Voters would have to authorize the new school board to take out a loan to cover expenses from January through the end of June, and the new RSU would take effect as of July 1, depending on voters’ approval.
The budgeting cost of the reorganization would be about $130,000, Sneller said, but the withdrawal agreement budget is set at $165,000 to make allowances for any other needs of the board and to ensure that they are not “cash-strapped.”
On the ballot in November, voters in each of the four towns will vote on two questions related to the school withdrawal: The first question will ask if they favor the withdrawal of their town from RSU 10. The second asks voters if they approve of a school administrative reorganization plan, in the event that Question 1 is approved.
“If the withdrawal question is not approved by 50 percent or more of the voters, then the whole thing dies,” Sneller said.
In other news, Selectman Donald Hutchins said last year’s tax rate was $20.75 per $1,000 of assessed value, and the rate for this fiscal year is $20.
“Taxes went down for a second year in a row,” he said. “It’s amazing what happens when you manage a town.”
mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net
A public hearing on withdrawal from RSU 10 and reorganization of schools in Dixfield, Canton, Carthage and Peru will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20, 6 p.m. at Dirigo Elementary School in Peru.
Additional informational meetings will be held:
* Tuesday, Oct. 11, 6 p.m. at the Canton Town Office;
* Thursday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m. at Dirigo Elementary School in Peru;
* Monday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. at the old schoolhouse in Carthage;
* Tuesday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m. at Dirigo High School.
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