PERU – After nearly three years of meetings, it’s official.
More than 300 Peru residents approved merging their K-8 school system with neighboring SAD 21’s K-12 system at Tuesday’s special town meeting referendum.
“I think the people made the best possible choice for the educational future of their kids,” said Peru School Superintendent John Turner.
“I think they understood what they were voting for and their show of votes overwhelmingly said they are in favor of it,” he added.
After doing extensive research and discussing the merger proposal with SAD 21 directors and two SAD 21 superintendents, Turner was relieved about Tuesday’s vote.
“It certainly makes the last two-and-a-half years of work feel worthwhile,” he added.
Now it’s up to voters in SAD 21 towns of Canton, Carthage and Dixfield to either approve or reject the merger when they conduct an identical referendum vote in April.
Turner said Peru Town Clerk Vera Parent would inform SAD 21 Superintendent Thomas Ward of the official vote on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Then Ward would present the information to the next School Board meeting on Monday, March 1.
That action, Turner said, would call for a vote in SAD 21.
If that vote in April OK’s the merger, then the newfound SAD 21 School Board would meet sometime in May and officially sanction a request to build a new, state-of-the-art elementary school on the Peru-Canton side of the Androscoggin River, Turner said.
The state set aside $10 million to build the school should the merger be approved by both Peru and SAD 21 residents.
Tuesday’s referendum Question 1 asked, Shall the Town of Peru vote to join SAD 21 as a participating municipality of the district subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement prepared by the commissioner dated Dec. 29, 2003? The vote was 332 yes, 31 no, and one void.
Referendum Question 2 asked, Shall the costs of operating “SAD 21” be shared among the towns of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru, according to the following formula:
a. 90 percent of the costs shall be shared in the same proportion as each municipality’s property valuation (fiscal capacity), as provided by Maine statute.
b. 10 percent of the costs shall be shared in the same proportion as each municipality’s number of resident pupils, as provided by statute.
Parent said she would have one group of helpers counting the referendum votes, and a second group tallying votes for Peru’s representatives to the SAD 21 School Board of the merged districts.
The tally was 327 yes, 32 no, and there were two voided ballots.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
