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Public hearing held for school district reorganization plan

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JAY – Twenty or so residents turned out for a public hearing on a proposed school district consolidation between their town and nearby MSAD 36. Residents will be able to vote on the plan on Jan. 27, with absentee ballots being available Dec. 24.

Superintendent Robert Wall gave a presentation on the plan and what would happen if the Jay School Department, a municipal school organization, and MSAD 36, which educates the children of Livermore and Livermore Falls, merged. He stressed that many aspects of the process remained unknowns at this time.

“Some people may have questions about what happens after we consolidate,” he said, “but there are questions we can’t answer. There are many things that aren’t governed by this plan.”

The plan orders the formation of a “transition team” to assist in the creation of a Regional School Unit on July 1, 2009. The team, consisting of Jay and MSAD 36 school board members, selectmen and others, would conduct a detailed analysis of both budgets, prepare a savings plan and generally help set up the new district.

New directors for the 10-member school board would be appointed for three-year terms, with some directors serving less than a full term to prevent the entire board from seeking reelection at the same time. Five directors would serve from Jay, three from Livermore Falls and two from Livermore. Each director would have a single vote.

Jay school property is currently merged together with the town’s. This would change if the consolidation plan is approved, with the new RSU gaining control over the Jay school campus. The town would retain control of the adjacent Head Start facility and the wilderness-like recreation area to the south. Residents could continue to use the community building, tennis courts and school gymnasiums, when available, in the exact same way they can now.

Financially, Wall said that the Regional Planning Committee which developed the plan, had decided that Jay would help pay the “local only” construction bond payments for the new Livermore Elementary School. These payments would be made for at least the first five years, for a projected cost of $1,797,600 annually.

These payments help offset a cost shift in the town’s favor. While the money raised to match state funds through the Essential Programs and Services model will not be shared between the three towns, additional funding would be. These funds, for above EPS expenditures, would be divided among the towns utilizing state valuation numbers.

Jay, for instance, would pay $2,377,728 of the “above EPS” total expenditure for the RSU, or 72.3 percent. That would actually represent, using 2008-2009 financial information, a $12,000 savings. Livermore and Livermore Falls would each roughly pay an additional $6,000.

“Using current numbers we found that this was pretty close,” Wall said. “By picking up this local-only debt up for the Livermore Elementary School, it evened up the playing field.”

As far as cost savings, the plan notes that some elimination of duplicate services and creating new efficiencies could save some money. However, Wall said that this would likely “slow the increase of costs” rather than result in actual reductions.

The most important thing, Wall said, was to focus on the plan’s affect on education. Instead of two systems providing the same offerings, some diversifying might be possible.

“We feel, education-wise, there could be some real benefits here,” Wall said.

He went on to note that he wasn’t worried about the new school board changing Jay’s commitment to its students.

“The people on the board right now are there because they care about kids,” he said. “I’m confident a combined board would be just the same.”

If any one of the three communities votes the plan down, no changes will be implemented. If no consolidation has taken place, the state has said it will impose a penalty of $201,192, annually, with that amount changing from year to year.

More information on this subject, as well as a place to submit questions to the Jay School Department, can be found here.
 

Superintendent Robert Wall gave a presentation on the plan and what would happen if the Jay School Department, a municipal school organization, and MSAD 36, which educates the children of Livermore and Livermore Falls, merged

 

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